Gas explosion kills expatriate, 2 others at BUA Cement factory

A fire outbreak at BUA Cement Company plant in Sokoto has caused the death of three persons, including an expatriate, a source at the factory has hinted.

The source, who was privy to the incident, said the explosion took place on Friday morning when a technical team was working on a leaking reservoir filled with diesel.

He narrated that the repair on the tank had ignited a heavy fire that claimed the lives of the three persons while about six others sustained various degrees of injures.

“The engineers were working on a faulty reservoir filled with diesel when the fire started. One expatriate and two workers who were trapped in the tank could not be rescued.

He further explained that six persons who sustained different degrees of injury are now receiving medical attention in hospital.

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When Sunday Sun team visited the scene, it was denied access, as security agencies including the police mounted a blockage on the road leading to the factory.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the company regarding the fire outbreak.

Efforts to reach the plant’s Head of Public Relations, Sada Suleiman, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages put to his mobile lines were unanswered.

However, the spokesman of the Sokoto Sate Fire Service, Bello, Baban Addini, confirmed the fire incident.

Addini who could not confirm the cause of the outbreak, said it took both the efforts of the federal and state fire service men to subdue the raging fire at the plant.

SUN