Tragedy in Rivers: 37 Lives Lost to Toxic Fumes

About 37 people have reportedly died after inhaling fumes from a petroleum product at a jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The incident happened on Thursday at the Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area. Young people from Okrika and nearby communities were loading a petroleum product from an illegal tapping point when it occurred.

Many others are missing after the incident, which took place in this mostly coastal community. A source in the community told our reporter that over 100 people had rushed to the jetty with local boats while a vessel was anchored by the river to load petroleum products.

The source explained that trouble started when the youths began loading the product. A strong smell filled the air, making several of them collapse.

“Many of them fell into the river, while others who managed to escape had serious breathing problems and were taken to the hospital.

“As I speak to you, over 37 bodies were identified as Okrika people. Six others are yet to be identified and many are still missing,” the source, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre also confirmed the incident. They said their youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta reported that at least 37 people, suspected to be involved in illegal oil activities, died after inhaling what is called “Indorama fuel.”

Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, stated that the incident took place around midnight on Thursday at the Okari Jetty.

“According to the report, no fewer than 37 persons suspected to be oil thieves died after inhaling what is locally called ‘Indorama Fuel.’

“Many others are still missing. The incident occurred while they were illegally loading the product into a ship at a tapping point,” he said.

Dumnamene explained that the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that carried petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to ships that came every two weeks to load products for export.

He added that the youths inhaled the product while a vessel was loading and they were also loading it into their boats from the illegal tapping point.

“This caused the death of at least 37 people. Many are still missing, and some bodies have been seen floating on the river but have not been recovered,” he stated.

Dumnamene urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to quickly visit the site for a joint investigation.

He also called on the company that owns the damaged facilities to provide better security for its pipelines to avoid a repeat of this tragedy.

The YEAC-Nigeria leader condemned the alleged sabotage, warning youths to stay away from oil and gas infrastructure due to the dangers of high-pressure pipelines.

When contacted, Blessing Agabe, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed the incident. He said the victims were reportedly trying to steal crude oil.

Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, mentioned that no official complaint had been made but added that an investigation had begun.

“The suspects reportedly died while attempting to steal crude oil. No official complaint has been received regarding this incident so far.

“Investigation is ongoing to find out what happened and clarify the facts,” the police spokesperson stated.

On the other hand, Igwe Godswill, the Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika LGA, gave a different version of the incident. He said the victims went to scoop petroleum products that spilled into the river when they were overcome by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.

Godswill described the incident as tragic. He said most of the victims were young people looking for work amid high unemployment.

“It is so sad that this is happening in our community. These young guys were just trying to find their daily bread, only for the fumes from the fuel to kill so many of our youths under the bridge.

“Many of them were choked to death. They are not criminals. They went out to look for food. I urge the community, leaders, and everyone to create real jobs here.

“These activities are risky, but when you cannot feed your children, those jobs seem like the only option,” Godswill stated.

He explained that the victims were scooping petroleum products from the water when they were hit by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.

Godswill mentioned that about 10 bodies were recovered, but only some could be identified due to their condition.

He said, “We saw about 10 of them. Four were still unrecognizable, while four were identified. The rest could not be identified because their bodies were badly damaged.”

The Civilian JTF commander called on the Rivers State Government, community leaders, and other relevant authorities to create job opportunities for youths in the area to stop them from engaging in dangerous activities.

“I call on the relevant authorities, community leaders, and everyone involved to look into this. It is not enough to just stop them. It is a risky job, but we need jobs for the youths so they can eat.

“Something that can help these young men and everyone else. I can tell you that it will not just stop because this is their only means of survival. People will still go there.

“Even yesterday, people still went there after we confirmed that people had died from the same activity. We are asking the leaders to create job opportunities, especially for the youths,” Godswill added.