Death toll in Lagos gas explosion hits five

Akintayo Akinjoye, one of the victims of last Tuesday’s gas explosion on the Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has died from his injuries, increasing the death toll to five.

Findings by a PUNCH Metro correspondent who was at the Gbagada General Hospital on Thursday revealed that Akinjoye, who operated an office near the explosion site, passed away around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, two days after being admitted.

Sources at the hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of their jobs, revealed to our correspondent that Akinjoye and another injured victim, who is currently recovering, were rushed to the medical facility on Tuesday.

“They brought in only two injured victims on Tuesday night. We have just lost one. The other patient is in a critical condition but responding to treatment,” a source told our correspondent.

The explosion, which occurred at 8:08 pm on Tuesday, was caused by a 30-tonne tanker carrying gas products, said to be owned by a nearby gas station.

PUNCH Metro reported on Thursday that the blast severely affected De-Twist Dental Clinic, while the generator house and security post of a nearby church building also sustained significant damage.

Eyewitnesses at the scene on Wednesday told our correspondent that responders allegedly recovered four charred bodies, including that of an auto mechanic identified as Rotimi Adeleye.

The chairman of the mechanic workshop where Adeleye worked as an auto technician, Kolawole Ishola, disclosed that the deceased was caught in the explosion while trying to move a customer’s vehicle to safety.

He said, “Our shops are not located on the main road, but our colleague, Mr. Rotimi Adeleye, lost his life in the explosion. He had closed for the day and was leaving when the fire broke out while driving his Corolla out of the workshop.

“When the tanker fell, he stepped out of his vehicle and was attempting to move a customer’s 016 Highlander to safety when the explosion occurred.

“Both his car and the customer’s vehicle were completely burnt. He is set to be buried this morning (Wednesday),” he told our correspondent.

In addition to Adeleye’s charred body, which his colleagues from the mechanic village claimed they moved out of the burnt vehicle, three other bodies were reportedly recovered on Wednesday.

When our correspondent visited the hospital on Thursday, representatives from Second Coming Nigeria were seen offering condolences and assuring the injured victim that the company would provide all necessary support for his recovery.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident. In any way we can assist him during this difficult time, we will do our best to support him,” one of the company’s representatives told an injured victim.

When contacted on Thursday for an updated casualty figure from the gas explosion, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nosa Okunbor, said the Tuesday incident report had been updated.

As of the time this report was filed, he had not provided the update to our correspondent.