Explosion rocks PPMC Warri depot

There was an explosion yesterday at the Tanker Loading Bay of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), near the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, Delta State.
The explosion shook the complex and the nearby Ubeji and Ekpan communities.
Residents thought an attack by militants was on, particularly against the backdrop of last week’s threat by the Coalition of Niger Delta Militants to attack oil facilities.
The Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesperson, Lt-Col. Timothy Antigha, ruled out sabotage.
He said the Task Force was on top of the security situation in the Niger Delta.
Lt-Col.Antigha advised residents to go about their businesses while security agents ascertained the cause of the explosion.
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the parent company of the PPMC and the Warri Refinery, was yet to make an official statement on the incident last night.
It was gathered that the explosion was caused by a petroleum tanker that caught fire while waiting to load at the facility.
Sources said the tanker, which had an electrical problem, was ignited by a spark from a component, when the driver started the truck.
The explosion led to panic particularly among other tanker drivers and agents of the various marketers in the vicinity.
A source said: “People started running helter-skelter because of the explosion and the fire.
“People who didn’t know the cause initially thought it was a bomb explosion.
“Those who ran away later came back to evacuate their vehicles and other belongings.”
Though there were no reports of any death, it was gathered that some workers around the facility suffered minor injuries during the stampede.
A combined fire fighting squad deployed from the Shell Petroleum Development Company, NNPC, and other oil firms were battling to put out the fire at the time of this report.