By Davies Iheamnachor

PORT HARCOURT— MEMBERS of five communities of Odegu clan in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State are reportedly living in fear as the death toll from Tuesday’s gas pipeline explosion rises to 10.

The communities are alleging that they have been abandoned by the operators of the facility, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, and Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, after the explosion that has left their environment polluted.

A socio-cultural group in the area, Odegu General Assembly, OGA, yesterday in Port Harcourt, said that several people in the area are coming down with different ailments, while some others are still missing.

The Chairman of OGA, Eke Emenike, said the remains of Sarah Obisike, Omevem Ezinwo, Nkesi Wodu, Kingsley Enyadike and Samuel Amadi have not been recovered from the river where they allegedly drowned, adding that James Nzokurum, Uche Ize, Faith Mannewe, Chidi Wekwa and a Yoruba girl also drowned in a pond during the explosion.

His words: “The explosion caused a deep panic in the minds of our people, who ran helter-skelter, leaving so many people injured and with others developing myriads of health challenges such as hypertension and sundry respiratory problems.

“Today, the dead toll from this incidence has risen to 10, contrary to the position of NLNG, NAOC and some government officials.

“Instead of addressing the issue and conducting investigation and clean-up of the polluted environment, NLNG, NNPC, DPR, NAOC and IDSL are in a conspiracy to build up a diversionary story about whose gas facility the explosion erupted from and who should bear the burden.”

Emenike urged the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, to immediately call Odegu General Assembly, personnel of NAOC, Rives State Ministry of Environment for a joint inspection visit of the site.