While the people of the university community of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, enjoyed their Sunday, tragedy struck at Akpabio Hostel of the university, leading to a pandemonium following the sound of an explosion.

The explosion happened precisely in room 106 of the said hostel and came reportedly from a leaky gas cylinder.

The victims were reportedly trying to cook with the faulty cylinder when the cylinder exploded.

University sources disclosed that there is a rule against cooking in the hostel, which the victims flouted by smuggling in and using their gas cooker and stove to cook inside the hostel.

The victims, who were two undergraduates of the university, received third-degree burns and had to be moved from the UNN Medical Centre to the Traumatic centre of the National Orthopaedic Hospital by their parents.

Confirming the accident to newsmen in Nsukka on Monday, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Igwe, regretted the incident, pointing out that he set up a committee to undertake door to door search of the hostels to fish out defaulters of the rule prohibiting cooking in hostels and charged that culprits would be sent off-campus where they would be free to cook on their own. (Nigerian Tribune)