An explosion at the Oil Mining Lease 40 site, operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company has killed seven workers.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday announced the killing of seven workers following an explosion at the Oil Mining Lease 40 site, operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company at the Benin River Valve Station.
The Group-General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, in a statement, said the explosion occurred on Tuesday at the at the Oil Mining Lease 40 site, operated by the NPDC, a flagship subsidiary of NNPC.
Mr Obateru said: “The incident, which occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production, unfortunately caused seven fatalities.”
The national oil firm said a detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion had commenced.
It said the Department of Petroleum Resources had been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.
“The bodies of casualties have been deposited in a morgue in Sapele, while families of the personnel involved are being contacted by their employers,” NNPC stated in its statement.
It named the employers as Weld Affairs and Flow Impact, adding that they were consultants to NPDC.
NNPC said all personnel on board the platform had been fully accounted for.
Its Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, commiserated with the families of the bereaved.
He prayed that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of their loved ones.
