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AT least 10 persons were killed as a pipeline exploded on Saturday in Komkom community, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The deafening sound of the explosion about 6.45am was said to have caused serious panic in the community as residents began to make enquiries about what happened.
While some sources within the area said the exploded pipeline belonged to Shell Petroleum Development Company, others expressed the belief that the facility was the property of the Petroleum Product Marketing Company.
It was also gathered that the explosion occurred when some workers from a yet to be identified firm were working on one of the pipelines.
The Chairman of Oyigbo LGA, Gerald Oforji, also confirmed that some persons died during the pipeline explosion, adding that corpses were pulled out from the scene of the incident after the fire was put out.
Oforji stated that no house was destroyed during the incident.
But the State Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, told newsmen that though some persons lost their lives in the explosion, the number of casualties had not been established.
Omoni stated that an investigation had begun with a view to unravelling the circumstance that led to the explosion.
When contacted, Spokesman for the SPDC, Bamidele Odugbesan, said there was no indication that any of its facilities exploded in Oyigbo.
