Victims Of Imo Illegal Refinery Fire To Get Mass Burial

Victims of the illegal refinery fire incident that occurred in Abaezi community in the Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State are set for a mass burial.

The mass burial will be carried out by the state government as confirmed by the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Imo state, Ifeanyi Nnaji.

Nnaji added that the mass burial would be carried out by the state ministries of Petroleum Resources and Environment.

It will be recalled that about 100 persons lost their lives during the fire explosion that occurred at the illegal refinery site on Friday. Subsequent reports have it that the number of casualties later increased above 100.

The NEMA official has now declared that none of the victims could be identified as they were burnt beyond recognition.

He added that the bodies were already decomposing, hence the need for the mass burial.

“The state Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Environment will carry out a mass burial for the victims because their remains are already decomposing.

“It is a large market involving people from all parts of the country; and since they burnt beyond recognition, it is very difficult to identify them. A family just came and saw one body, which they said resembled one of their own and they carried it for burial according to traditional rites,” Nnaji said.

President Muhammadu Buhari in his reaction to the incident described it as a catastrophe and national disaster.

He directed security agencies to go after the operators of such illegal refineries and such them down.