Man Narrates How He Lost His Two Daughters At Kubwa Fire Explosion.
A 49-year-old man
Virginus Oleru lost two of his daughters named Chioma and Angel in a Kerosine
Explosion that occurred in Kubwa village Market in Abuja the nation's Capital
Last Friday, November 5.
His wife also
sustained serious burns and she is currently receiving treatment at the
National Hospital Abuja. Chioma who is 14 and her sister Angel who is
barely 21 months were at the scene of the explosion where their mother Mrs.
Oleru sold foodstuff.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Mr. Oleru said
that no one knows the cause of the fire as there was a total blackout in the
area when the outbreak occurred.
Here is what the
father said -
"When I came back home, my wife and one of my daughters,
Chioma (now deceased) were still outside trading. So I gave Angel to Chioma to
carry, so I could get her medication inside the house.
"Immediately I went into the compound and was about to
open the door, I heard a very loud noise from outside. When I heard that
noise and the level of fire I saw from there, I concluded that all my family
had gone. I tried going outside, but the fire prevented me. My neighbors also
came outside, but we couldn’t put out the fire. I haven’t seen that kind of
fire before in my life. So, I had to follow another road to get outside.
Thank God that
firefighters responded early and they started to pour water. But I couldn’t
wait.
"Immediately, I went to the scene, where I saw my baby
lying lifeless, but I couldn’t find my wife and another daughter. I walked all
through the dead bodies but still couldn’t find them. I counted about 20 dead
bodies.
"It was while doing that my other two kids, who were not
at the scene, told me that they saw their mother rushing Chioma to the
hospital."
Mr. Oleru stated
that his wife and daughter were first taken to Kubwa hospital where they were
rejected because of lack of bed but they were accepted at the National Hospital
where his daughter Chioma died in the early hours of Saturday.
