TRAGEDY struck the oil-rich city of Warri in Delta State, recently, following a fatal domestic gas explosion that claimed the lives of an entire family of three on May 30.
But it all came down to reality on June 14 when the last surviving member, an unidentified young girl set to travel abroad, died of her injuries.
The family had been preparing to celebrate her birthday and bid her farewell ahead of her planned trip overseas. But instead, an errors in gas handling turned their home into a death trap and extinguished their dream.
According to an official safety incident report submitted by John Perede Akpoyibo, a safety advocate and community development leader, the explosion occurred during cooking activities when the father attempted to connect a burner to a smaller LPG gas cylinder while another was already in use in the same kitchen.
The gas leak that followed came into contact with an open flame, sparking an instantaneous explosion that engulfed the kitchen and nearby areas in flames.
The father died shortly after the blast from fatal injuries, while the mother, who was exiting the bathroom at the time, sustained severe burns and was rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where she later died.
Their daughter, who suffered first-degree burns, battled for two weeks in intensive care before passing away on June 14.
Akpoyibo, while lamenting the devastating outcome, called for urgent community education, tighter safety regulations and public awareness on proper handling gas appliances.
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