According to a source, the tenant used his phone torchlight for illumination before striking a match to ignite his gas cylinder, which immediately exploded, killing him and one other person.
No less than two persons have been killed in a gas explosion on Nwanniba Road, in the Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, according to The PUNCH.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident occurred when a tenant wanted to prepare food.
According to a source, the tenant used his phone torchlight for illumination before striking a match to ignite his gas cylinder, which immediately exploded, killing him and one other person.
The source said, “The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 6. Everywhere was still dark. A 21-year-old tenant staying in a one-room apartment wanted to cook in the early hours before going to work. He lit the gas cooker, not knowing that it was leaking.
”I was staying in my room when I heard an explosion. By the time I rushed out to the room, there was thick smoke all over the room; fire was raging. No one could enter.”
The Director of the Akwa Ibom State Fire Service, Ubong Umoh, on Wednesday, said the explosion was caused by the phone torchlight.
Umoh lamented that his organisation had, on several occasions, warned users of gas cylinders against using phone torchlight when cooking.
He said, “Two persons were killed in the gas explosion and it happened because one of them was using phone light. This is what we in the fire department have been preaching against that people should not use phone light near gas cookers.”