A 45-year-old man, Esuabana Thomas, and two of his children and an in-law have died in a kerosene explosion at their home in Ikot Ekpo community, Calabar, Cross River State on Monday, August 24.
The children were identified as Esua Thomas, 14; and Edet Thomas, 12; while the in-law was identified as Mathias.
The kerosene, suspected to have been adulterated, was being poured into a lantern when it exploded on Monday night. The explosion resulted in a fire outbreak that razed their apartment.
The neighbors say one of the daughters was pouring the kerosene into the lantern which was already lit when the explosion occurred.
Three people died in the inferno while the fourth person died while being rushed to the hospital.
The victims were said to be indigenes of Ukwa Eburutu, in the Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.
The deceased’s landlord, Efiom Efanga, noted that Esuabana’s wife and daughter survived the incident.
Efanga explained that he did not live in the house with the tenants, adding that his attention was drawn to the tragedy around 10pm.
He stated;
I got a call around 10pm that there was a fire incident in my house, so I rushed down there. By the time I got there, the neighbours had succeeded in putting out the fire. But they did not know that people had been burnt inside because it seemed there were no screams.
A relative of the deceased, Mr Samuel Inyang, who described the incident as mysterious, expressed that the explosion happened around 9.30pm.
He said;
It happened in the kitchen. The four persons who died were in the room, but we cannot explain why they could not run out through the door. How can kerosene explode like a bomb? It is a mystery that the door was open, but our brother, his children and in-law could not escape.
He alleged that the kerosene might have been adulterated, and appealed to government agencies to stop illegal bunkering, which he said encouraged dealers to mix all types of things with kerosene.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Irene Ugbo, noted that the police have commenced an investigation into the said incident.