The village of Ijegun is a northern suburban community in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State , Nigeria.The area is home to oil tank farms.
6-444: On May 15, 2008, Ijegun was devastated by a massive explosion , killing over 100 people, after a bulldozer struck and ignited an oil pipeline. Another pipeline explosion occurred in 2019. 6°31′01″N 3°15′25″E / 6.517°N 3.257°E / 6.517; 3.257 This Lagos State location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2008 Ijegun pipeline explosion On 15 May 2008
12-486: A pipeline explosion occurred in the community of Ijegun , a suburb north of Lagos , Nigeria . The explosion took place after a bulldozer struck an oil pipeline . The Lagos police have stated that the explosion appears to be an accident, and not the work of thieves, as in past pipeline explosions near Lagos . Construction workers accidentally broke an underground pipeline from which fuel started to spill out; moments later an explosion occurred. The fire started from
18-473: The Ijegun Primary School initially locked the gates apparently to prevent the pupils from running into danger. But when the atmosphere became tense, the gate men and other staff were said to have run for their lives leaving everyone to their fate. At that point, students from Ijegun Comprehensive School who ran into the primary school premises were said to have jointly brought down the wall of
24-498: The Isolo end of Ijegun, which spread to surrounding homes and schools. It reportedly spread through buildings with occupants inside. The Ijegun Primary School was also damaged. More than 15 homes and more than 20 vehicles were burned in the fire. Firefighters and volunteers used sand and water in attempts to extinguish the fires. Forty minutes after the fire started, NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) firefighters arrived on
30-478: The dead. The Nigerian Red Cross compiled names of the deceased and injured. They set up camps near the disaster as well. Local council and government officials claim that the actual death toll is much lower than what the Nigerian Red Cross is claiming. Victims were taken to a hospital and are said to have been suffering from serious burns. It's believed that when the explosion occurred, gate men at
36-622: The scene. The Lagos State Fire Service later arrived. Although the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency puts the current death toll at ten, the Nigerian Red Cross claims at least 100 people have died. Other accounts state that the number dead is 39, including school children. AllAfrica.com reports that the death toll is up to 43. The bodies were taken to the Ikeja General Hospital . A pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son were also among
#633366