Ebonyi State Catering School Gas Explosion; One Dies in Hospital
Ebonyi State Catering School Gas Explosion; One Dies in Hospital
Daughter of an NTA Worker affected Also
One out of the 10 girls who were burnt during a gas explosion that occurred at Good Shepherd Catering School, Orokeonuoha, Ebonyi council area of Ebonyi State has been reported dead.
Miss Mary Cynthia Ikelegu died on Saturday evening at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA).
It was learnt that the explosion occurred in the kitchen section of the institution owned by the Catholic Church.
The incident was said to have occurred when one of the students was answering a phone call in the kitchen while cooking food with a gas cylinder.
The explosion of the cylinder affected other cylinders which forced the students to scamper for safety with several degrees of injuries.
Mary Cynthia Ikelegu were among five of the victims that have been on life supporting machines at the hospital since Thursday morning when the incident occurred.
Before the victims were transferred to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, they received first aid treatment at
police clinic at the police headquarters in Abakaliki too.
Also affected in the inferno is a 17 year old Chisom Nwizi, the daughter of Emmanuel Nwizi, who works for Nigerian Television Authority, Abakaliki as a member of staff.
Nwizi, a staff of the News Division of the media organisation narrated the story when visited at the hospital on Friday stressing he has hope that his daughter will survive though severely burnt but not on life support system.
He narrates the story;
“I spoke with my daughter around 6:30am when I was going to buy Okpa for her siblings for breakfast and I promised to bring hers.
“Around 7:30am i got a call that the kitchen section of Good Shepherd Catering School has been engulfed by fire and I rushed to the place immediately because my daughter is one of the students there.
“So, when I got there, I saw students discussing in groups. One of them said that it was the mistake of one of the students, that if one of the students didn’t enter the kitchen with her phone, the incident wouldn’t have happened.
“I moved into the school proper and I was told that the victims have been taken to the police clinic. I quickly rushed to the police clinic and I was informed that they have been taken to the Accident and Emergency Unit of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA).
“When I got there, my brother, it was very severe and it affected ten students. They are still here in AE-FUTHA with us. Out of this ten, five are still on life supporting machines till now.
“My daughter sustained severe burns but I have hope that she will survive. The school authority is doing well, they have been trying since the incident occurred. They have not asked any parent to bring a dime, they are still saying after saving lives first before they will engage parents to bring whatever they have.”I commend the effort of the Reverend sisters managing the catering school. Yesterday, they stayed in the hospital till 12 midnight, I really appreciate their efforts”, he said.
