At least 37 suspected oil thieves have reportedly died after inhaling toxic petroleum fumes during an illegal loading operation at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident happened early Thursday when a large group of youths reportedly gathered at the waterfront to siphon petroleum products through an illegal connection while a vessel was loading.
Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, confirmed the deaths. He said reports from the group’s youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta indicated that no fewer than 37 people had died after inhaling what residents call “Indorama fuel.”
He said the illegal operators connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline carrying petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical area through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels.
“The report further stated that while a vessel was loading the product and the men were simultaneously loading into their waiting boats from the illegal tapping point, they inhaled the product being pumped at high pressure,” Fyneface said.
“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.”
The Rivers State Police Command said it was investigating the incident to determine the actual casualties.
