At least 37 people have died after inhaling toxic fumes while attempting to tap an oil pipeline in southern Nigeria, an environmental group said, thou
At least 37 people have died after inhaling toxic fumes while attempting to tap an oil pipeline in southern Nigeria, an environmental group said, though authorities have yet to confirm the toll.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) said the incident occurred around midnight on Thursday at Okari Jetty in Okrika, Rivers State, where suspected thieves were reportedly siphoning petroleum products under high pressure into boats from an illegally tapped pipeline.
Police said the victims died while attempting to steal crude oil, and several others remain missing.
The pipeline is said to normally transport crude from producer Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels loading for export.
Rivers State police spokesperson ASP Blessing Kaborlo Agabe said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts, and YEAC-Nigeria said it is working with security agencies to confirm the number of dead, injured and missing while probing possible negligence, collusion or criminal facilitation.
If confirmed, the toll would mark the worst known death count from such an incident since at least October 2023, underscoring the persistent danger of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta, where illegal tapping has long fueled fatalities, environmental pollution and heavy losses for Nigeria’s oil industry.
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