The 2006 Abule Egba pipeline explosion is a disaster that occurred in the heavily populated neighborhood of Abule Egba in Lagos, Nigeria on December 26, 2006, killing hundreds of people. There were originally believed to be around 500 deaths, but it was later confirmed that the loss was smaller.

The incident occurred after an elevated pipeline carrying gasoline was punctured by thieves earlier at midnight (local time), attracting hundreds of scavengers in the district who collected the fuel using plastic containers, allegedly to siphon fuel into a tanker, before puddles of fallen fuel were ignited after dawn. The cause of the explosion remains unknown, while witnesses have stated that the broken pipeline was tapped when the blast occurred.

Nigerian authorities blamed the disaster on "bunkerers", criminals who tap into pipelines carrying refined fuel around the country for the state-owned Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). After taking as much as they can transport for resale under the cover of darkness, they leave the pipelines leaking and villagers in poverty-stricken communities rush to the sites with cans, bowls and buckets to collect as much fuel as possible for use in vehicles, generators and kerosene cookers. A stolen jerrycan of petrol, sold on the black market, can equal two weeks wages for a poor Nigerian.

After taking as much as they can transport for resale under the cover of darkness, they leave the pipelines leaking and villagers in poverty-stricken communities rush to the sites with cans, bowls and buckets to collect as much fuel as possible for use in vehicles, generators and kerosene cookers. A stolen jerrycan of petrol, sold on the black market, can equal two weeks wages for a poor Nigerian

The number of people killed is unclear, but is certain to be in the hundreds. The Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) indicated that there was no official death toll, but estimated that there were at least 200 dead, but that the number easily could be 500. At least 60 people had been taken to the hospital with serious burns, while a number of houses were destroyed, along with a mosque and a church. On the day of the explosion, a Reuters news agency photographer estimated 500 bodies in the scene.

Sources

• The Guardian, Hundreds burned alive in Lagos pipeline fire, Wednesday December 27 2006, Accessed 28 August 2008.
• New York Times, Gas Line Explodes in Nigeria, Killing at Least 260, December 27, 2006, Accessed 28 August 2008.
• Wikipedia Contributors, 2006 Abule Egba pipeline explosion, Wikipedia, Accessed 28 August 2008.