ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
A mother and her two children have been severely burnt in a cooking gas explosion in Bayelsa State.
The incident occurred along the Azikoro road in Ekeki community of Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt on Monday that the children, aged between six and eight, were with their mother at about 6.30pm on Sunday when the explosion occurred from the kitchen.
A close neighbour, who did not want her name mentioned, claimed that the three victims were at home awaiting the arrival of the father, a commercial tricycle operator from Kogi State when they started perceiving the odour of gas leakage.
“Upon perceiving the smell of the gas, the woman headed for the kitchen with a torch to check the leakage. What was heard next was a huge explosion. They were seriously injured. The ferocity of the explosion was such that it devastated their iron door and the building felt the fury,” the neighbour claimed.
Some other residents confirmed that the sound of the explosion threw neighbours into panic as it allegedly shook the foundations of some buildings in the area.
The explosion was said to have thrown up balls of fire and the three severely injured family members were later rescued by neighbors and taken to the Government House Clinic in Yenagoa.
The six-year-old was said to be severely burnt because he was lying down naked when the explosion occurred. The mother and the other eight-year-old boy were severely affected too.
Already, neighbours and Good Samaritans have started pooling resources together to assist the victims.
They appealed to the Bayelsa and Kogi state governments to assist the poor family to get good medical attention and any other form of assistance.