At least 38 persons suffered various degrees of burns following a gas explosion in Calabar, Cross River, on Saturday.
The spokesman for the state police command, Sunday Eitokpah, however told journalists that no fatality was recorded in the explosion that razed a gas station and residential buildings in the city.
Eitokpah said the victims had been taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
He identified gas leakage as the reason for the explosion that occurred at Edibe Edibe, a densely populated area of Calabar South Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman said the explosion occurred at about 10.00 a.m. when a gas station attendant attempted to transfer gas from the storage tank to the service tank
“All attempts to secure the storage tap were not successful. The leak happened rapidly, there was no time to alert residents.
“The area came up in flames, and resulted in significant property damage, the value of which is currently unquantified,” Eitokpah stated.
