Casualty figures in the Matrix Gas Plant explosion which occurred Friday night, July 8, 2022, at Ifiekporo community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, has increased to 10, as more dead bodies of victims who jumped into the nearby river to avoid being consumed by fire floated on the river two days after the incident occurred.

Although the company had, in an earlier statement, declared that no casualty was lost in the tragic incident, it, however, later admitted that five deaths were recorded, and some victims who suffered high degree of burns were being treated at various hospitals close to its operational location.

But Daily Sun’s findings revealed that five additional bodies, including those of two students of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Uvwie Council area, who were on industrial attachment programme (IT) with the company floated on the river, alongside others believed to be working with the tankers slated for loading, at the time the incident occurred.

It was learnt that the deceased PTI students, identified as Omare Sunny of Mechanical Engineering Department and Godstime Chuks, Petroleum Engineering Department, were undergoing their mandatory industrial training programme at the company’s facility, when they met their untimely death.

Consequent upon the sad incident, the Student Union Government (SUG) of PTI, Effurun, which has declared the suspension of social activities in the school, to mourn the demise of their colleagues, had called for a probe of the incident, in order to establish the cause of the explosion.

The student’s body, in the statement, urged the management of Matrix Energy to officially withdraw its earlier statement that no casualty was recorded, describing such a misguided statement as a calculated attempt to mislead the public.

It urged the management to immediately set the record straight, by admitting that lives were, indeed, lost in the explosion, and reach out to the families of their deceased colleagues. (Daily Sun)

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