A devastating gas fire incident has occurred at an all-girls vocational and Catering training school in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital, reportedly injuring some people and claiming one life.
though the security agency is silent on the number of casualties.
According to a source in the area, one of the students in the vocational school known as Good Shepherd Vocational and Catering School, situated at the Mile 50 area, Amikeaba, Ebonyi Local Government Area died as a result of severe burns she sustained from the gas fire explosion, with Nine others injured.
The victims whose ages are put between 12 and 19 years were said to have sustained several degrees of burns when the gas cylinder exploded as one of them was cooking in the kitchen section of the school and answering cell phone calls which allegedly ignited the fire.
Five out of the Nine victims are said to be on life support machines at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, where they were taken to while the rest are responding to treatment.
Among them is 17-year old Chisom Nwizi, the daughter of Emmanuel Nwizi, a staff of the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA Abakaliki.
Nwizi told members of the Ebonyi State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) who visited him at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Hospital that his daughter sustained severe burns in the accident.
“My daughter sustained severe burns but I have hope that she will survive. The school authority is doing well, they have been trying since the incident occurred. They have not asked any parent to bring a dime, they are still saying after saving lives first before they will engage parents to bring whatever they have.
“I commend the effort of the Reverend sisters managing the Catering school. Yesterday, they stayed in the hospital till 12 midnight, I really appreciate their efforts”, he said.
The Vocational and Catering School, is said to be owned by a religious body.
