Confirming the unfortunate incident, the State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, who represented Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State during his visit to the scene, said so many youths lost their lives due to the dire incident.
He said: “At the moment, I can’t really confirm the number of the deceased because many family members have removed the corpses of so many others.
“Apart from this calamity, the act has destroyed the acqatic life of the community. Our people before now are predorminantly farmers and fishermen.
“Look around, you’ll find smokes coming from this illegal act. If this is not enough for any person to stop, I think the community is heading for what I can’t describe.
An eye witnesso, Mr Eze Ikedi told our correspondent that the incident occurred around 11 pm last night.
According to him: “The fire was even entering the bush.
“We saw the people that were inside, no one was seen coming out.
“People were also scared going close the place but later when people got there, they found out it was over hundred persons that were burnt and one hundred and fifty others who sustained serious burns were rushed into the villages for treatment.”
He said that many of the victims were rejected at the village health centre.
