Segun Iroko

DETAILS OF THE MOBOLAJI BANK ANTHONY ROAD EXPLOSION

Apparently, at about 10pm last night (Thursday), a tanker laden with gas stopped on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, in front of OPIC plaza bordering Sheraton Hotel. The driver and his “busboy” came out, looked at the truck and took off on foot.

The security guards at Opic said they saw the gas leaking and as the place slopes downwards into OPIC all the way to the back, that was the lime of flow taken by the leaking gas.

At this time, some of the guards and people still there could smell the gas and started trying to get people out of the building. A guest of the restaurant had driven outwards to the gate of opic and was asking if there was a robbery going on outside, he then reversed into the compound. Sadly he and the other occupant were caught in the explosion/fire.

As the gas got to the back of OPIC where the kitchen for the Chinese restaurant was situated, it ignited and that was the first explosion. It took out the back of the building and of course the entire restaurant, with some guests and staff still in there.

As the fire raged, some people on the upper levels were also burnt.

The tanker also exploded and burnt the opic gatehouse and some cars in the opic compound.

Luckily, the petrol station next door was safe. I didn’t go into Sheraton to see what possible damage there may have been.

Unluckily, while I was there NEMA was putting three or four bodies found at the back into body bags. Apparently, there was still at least 1 corpse (a child) upstairs.

About 15 people that had burns were evacuated yesterday(June 16, 2021), not sure how many fatalities though, but at least 6 by my estimate.