By Desire Emmanuel
The Cross River State Fire Service on Saturday said it was unable to respond to the gas explosion that occurred in Calabar, the state capital, because all its trucks, procured 14 years ago, are currently undergoing maintenance
This was as the state police command said that 38 persons sustained various degrees of burns following the explosion, adding that contrary to reports, no one died in the incident.
Speaking on the incident, Mr Emmanuel Ajom, the Director, Cross River State Fire Service, said that the service’s fire trucks were undergoing maintenance, and so, it was unable to respond to the explosion.
“These trucks were procured about 14 years ago, they are undergoing routine maintenance, we couldn’t respond,” he said.
As if that was not enough, the Commanding Officer of the Federal Fire Service in the state, Mrs Olumayowa Olomola, said that the service could not respond to the inferno because its truck was faulty.
“Our truck was vandalised by hoodlums during a recent operation in Calabar. Some of our personnel were injured too, so we couldn’t respond,” she said.
Spokesman of the state police command, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, while speaking on the disaster, said that no death had been recorded so far from the explosion.
Eitokpah said that the victims were taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
He identified gas leakage as the reason for the explosion that occurred at Edibe Edibe, a densely populated area of Calabar South Local Government Area.
The police image-maker said that the explosion occurred at about 10.00 a.m. when a gas station attendant attempted to transfer gas from the storage tank to the service tank
He said that in the process, the gas hose got detached and caused gas fumes to leak within the environment.
“All attempts to secure the storage tap were not successful. The leak happened rapidly, there was no time to alert residents.
“The area came up in flames, and resulted in significant property damage, the value of which is currently unquantified,” he said.
Eitokpah said that the police command was effectively in control of the situation in order to safeguard lives and property.
