At least 109 persons were killed or drowned after an illegal oil refinery complex in Abacheke Kpofire, Egbema community, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, Imo State, caught fire.
Ifeanyi Nnaji, head of operations of the National Emergency Management Agency said that they have recovered 109 bodies from the initial figure of not more than 20.
Goodluck Opiah, State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, identified the operator of the illegal refinery as Okenze Onyenwoke, who is still at large.
Opiah added that Onyenwoke had been placed on the police’s wanted list.
In a statement sent and published on CNN, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) said the fire started in an illegal bunkering site situated at the boundary between Rivers State and Imo State.
According to the NSCDC, the fire killed “hundreds of men, women, and children,” and the bodies of some victims were “burned beyond recognition.”