No fewer than 37 people have reportedly died after inhaling toxic fumes while attempting to load petroleum products at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident, which occurred around midnight on Thursday, also left several people missing, while others who survived were said to have been hospitalised after suffering breathing difficulties.
According to a community source, more than 100 people had gathered at the jetty in locally made boats while a vessel was anchored along the river to load petroleum products.
The source said panic broke out when a strong smell suddenly filled the area, causing several people to collapse.
“Many of them collapsed into the river, while others who managed to escape the scene had serious respiratory disorders and were being treated at the hospital,” the source said.
The source added that more than 37 bodies had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified and several people remained missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the deaths, saying reports from its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta indicated that at least 37 people died after inhaling a petroleum product locally referred to as “Indorama fuel”.
The organisation’s Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the incident happened during the alleged illegal loading of petroleum products at a tapping point at Okari Jetty.
He alleged that the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline transporting petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical complex through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels loading products for export.
Dumnamene said the victims were transferring the product into their boats while a vessel was loading nearby when they were overwhelmed by the fumes.
“This led to the death of not fewer than 37 persons. Many are still missing, and some corpses have been seen floating on the river but have not yet been recovered,” he stated.
He called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately visit the area and investigate the incident.
Dumnamene also urged the owners of the affected facilities to strengthen security around their pipelines to prevent vandalism and similar tragedies.
He warned youths against tampering with oil and gas infrastructure, particularly high-pressure pipelines, and advocated the creation of alternative livelihood opportunities in the Niger Delta.
Among his recommendations were the establishment of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining as ways of reducing dependence on illegal oil activities.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed that an incident occurred but said preliminary information indicated that the victims were attempting to steal crude oil.
The command’s spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said no formal complaint had been received but disclosed that an investigation was underway.
“The suspects reportedly died in the process of attempting to steal crude oil. However, no official complaint has been received in connection with the incident at this time.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts,” she said.
However, the Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika Local Government Area, Igwe Godswill, gave a different account.
Godswill said the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products that had spilled into the river but were overcome by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.
He said most of the victims were young people trying to make a living in a community where employment opportunities were scarce.
“It is so pathetic that this incident is happening in our community. These are young guys who have gone to search for their daily bread, only for the fumes from the fuel that was pumped to kill so many of our youths under the bridge,” he said.
Godswill disclosed that about 10 bodies had been recovered, although some could not be identified because of the condition of their remains.
“We saw about 10 of them. Four were still unrecognisable, while four persons were identified. The rest could not be identified because their bodies were badly damaged and their faces were severely affected,” he stated.
He appealed to the state government, local authorities and community leaders to urgently address youth unemployment and create legitimate sources of income.
According to him, merely stopping young people from engaging in hazardous activities would not resolve the problem without providing viable alternatives.
He added that people continued to visit the area despite the reported deaths, making urgent intervention necessary.
The conflicting accounts from the police and community representatives have heightened calls for a comprehensive investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the tragedy, the source of the fumes and the final casualty figure.
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