The death toll from the explosion at the Bodija axis of Ibadan, Oyo state capital, on Tuesday, has risen to five.
Fatai Owoseni, special adviser on security matters to Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde, announced the development on Thursday during an appearance on ARISE TV.
According to Makinde, the explosion was caused by illegal miners who stored explosive devices in an apartment in the area. It destroyed several houses.
The governor announced on Wednesday that two people died and 77 were injured in the late-night explosion.
When he spoke with journalists at the scene of the incident on Thursday, Temitope Alonge, the head of the emergency operations centre (EOP) for the rescue and evacuation of the victims, confirmed the death toll as five.
Alonge said two bodies were discovered between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
He claimed that if some residents had not seen the fire that preceded the explosion and fled their homes, the number of casualties would have been higher.
Alonge said:
“…before the blast came up which was a few minutes. It gave some of them enough time to get out of their houses.”
“The buildings didn’t collapse at the same time. It could have been worse if it was later in the night when people were sleeping. It would have been a disaster.”
Alonge, a former chief medical director (CMD) at University College Hospital (UCH), stated that the exact number of people still trapped beneath the rubble is unknown.
He stated that, while the chances of finding survivors decrease over time, rescue operations will continue until everyone is found.