Explosion kills 3, razes 6 houses in Katsina

THREE people were killed when two fuel-laden articulated vehicles exploded at Gyazama village, along the Funtua-Birnin Gwari road in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Alhaji Abdulkadir Muhammad, the Transition Committee chairman of Dandume Local Government Council, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dandume, that four other persons sustained burns of various degrees.

He also said six houses were also burnt in the resultant inferno, which occurred Saturday evening.

NAN reports that the inferno started when some drivers were transferring fuel from a broken-down vehicle to another through the use of a pumping machine.

Muhammad said the deceased were operators of the pumping machine, while those who sustained burns were receiving treatment at Funtua General Hospital.

He added that the houses were burnt because of the fuel which spilled from the scene of the incident.

Muhammad, who was an eyewitness, explained that the fire could not be contained by the Dandume council’s firemen, adding that it took the intervention of nearby firemen from Faskari, Funtua and Dandume local government areas to put it off.

He said the fire lasted till Sunday morning, adding that he attended the burial of  the deceased, while paying condolence visits to their families.

Muhammad warned people in the area against illegal parking of vehicles, poor handling of flammable fuels, as well as inappropriate use of pumping machines.
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