How 7-Month Old Baby Was Killed In Igando Gas Explosion

A seven-month-old baby was killed on Tuesday after a gas explosion ripped through a retail gas shop in the Egan area of Igando, Lagos State.

The incident occurred around 1pm at Niyi Bus Stop in the Modina area of the community.

It was gathered that the infant and a teenage girl were inside the gas retail outlet when the explosion occurred and triggered a fire that engulfed the shop and the hairdressing salon beside it.

 

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An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the deceased was the child of an apprentice at the hairdressing salon.

He explained that the infant had been playing inside the gas shop when the explosion occurred.

“The explosion happened around 1pm and affected the hairdressing salon beside the gas shop. A seven-month-old baby, who was the child of one of the apprentices at the salon, was playing in the gas shop alongside a teenager, said to be the daughter of the gas shop owner, when the explosion occurred,” the source explained.

Another resident, Taofeek Adekunle, said efforts by neighbours to rescue the toddler were hampered by the intensity of the fire.

He added that the fire also caused severe burns to the teenager’s legs.

He said, “Immediately it happened, the teenager, who is the daughter of the gas shop owner, rushed out and escaped, leaving the baby behind. The people inside the salon, including the baby’s mother, also fled for safety.

“The baby tried to crawl out, but the fire became too intense for anyone to move close enough to rescue the child. That was how the baby got burnt to death. The teenager also sustained burns on both legs while escaping. Both the gas shop and the hairdressing salon were completely destroyed by the fire.”

Taofeek said the toddler’s mother collapsed after the incident as residents rushed to revive her.

Although residents speculated that the intense afternoon heat might have contributed to the incident, officials had yet to determine the cause of the explosion.

Emergency responders from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies had yet to arrive at the scene as of the time this report was filed.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, had yet to respond to calls and a text message seeking confirmation as of the time of filing this report.

  

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