Ten Bodies Recovered After Toxic Fume Incident in Rivers

On Thursday, a tragic incident occurred in Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State, where approximately 10 bodies were recovered after individuals reportedly inhaled toxic fumes from a petroleum product. The Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Igwe Godswill, confirmed the recovery on Friday, stating that conflicting reports suggested as many as 37 fatalities.

The incident took place while youths were illegally loading the product from a jetty, leading to a strong smell that choked many victims, primarily youths seeking means of livelihood. Godswill clarified that the victims were not oil thieves but individuals searching for daily sustenance due to poverty.

He urged community leaders and the Rivers State Government to create legitimate job opportunities to deter such dangerous activities. The NSCDC, represented by spokesman Olufemi Ayodele, reported sighting four corpses at the jetty and indicated the need for further verification of the deceased's identities and circumstances surrounding their deaths.