THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says seven persons were killed during an explosion that occurred at one of its facilities at Gbetiokun, OML 40, in the Niger Delta region operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), on behalf of the NPDC/Elcrest Joint Venture. 

This was disclosed in a statement by Kennie Obateru, the Group General Manager Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC.

The incident occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production,

Obateru in the statement said that detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion has commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.

He said bodies of casualties have been deposited in a morgue in Sapele, while families of the personnel involved are being contacted by their employers: Weld Affairs and Flow Impact, which are consultants to NPDC.

Obateru said Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of NNPC has commiserated with the families of the bereaved, praying that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of their loved ones while also assuring that all personnel on board the platform had been fully accounted for.