VOA News
21 Jun 2003, 16:21 UTC
Relief officials and witnesses in Nigeria say more than 100 villagers were killed when an oil pipeline exploded in the southeast of the country. The president of the Nigerian Red Cross, Emmanuel Ijewere, said the death toll is likely to rise as rescue crews continue to search for bodies in the remote town of Onicha Amiyi-Uhu (north of the city of Umuhia).
Local officials say they only learned Saturday of the explosion, which they say happened on Thursday. Witnesses say villagers had been using buckets to scoop up fuel from the pipeline, which was leaking, when the blast went off. They say vandals had punched a hole in the pipeline about six weeks ago.
It is not clear what caused the explosion. Some witnesses say a spark from a motorcycle set off the blast. Villagers say the fire is sill burning, but police have sealed off the area.
Pipeline vandalism is common in Nigeria where villagers often complain that oil companies pollute the environment and fail to compensate them adequately. Pipeline explosions have killed hundreds of villagers in recent years.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
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