Following the gas explosion in Calabar on Saturday, Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State late evening visited the area to assess the level of destruction and how the situation was managed.
This was after the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rashid Afegbua had earlier visited the scene and presented him with security reports.
The governor described the scene as “shocking” and promised to ensure that all the victims were attended to by hospital officials at government cost.
The governor, who assessed the level of damage at the scene, lamented the scale of destruction caused by the explosion, noting that both lives and property were affected.
“What I’ve seen here is shocking. It’s a huge, huge damage,” Otu said.
He expressed concern over the siting of such facilities within residential areas, stressing the need for stricter safety measures to prevent future occurrences.
“I know very well this kind of facility should not be in a residential area, but unfortunately this one is here. I believe that steps must be taken to prevent this kind of occurrence in the future,” he stated.
Governor Otu disclosed that several victims are currently receiving treatment in hospitals, while many homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
He assured that the state government would act swiftly to support affected residents.
“We have several casualties in the hospital and people’s houses have been damaged. Government is going to act quickly,” he said.
The governor announced that the state would provide free medical treatment for all victims and consider compensation for those who suffered losses.
“We will take care of them. We are providing free medical treatment for those affected and will also look into compensation to help them return to their normal lives as quickly as possible,” Otu assured.
Meanwhile, a victim, Mrs. Rosa Asuquo, recounted her ordeal and called for urgent government assistance, alleging that efforts to reach the fire service during the emergency were unsuccessful.
“While I was away, my children called me that there was a fire outbreak. When I got here, everything was already in chaos. I tried calling the fire service, but there was no response. There was no rescue until the fire went off by itself,” she claimed.
She lamented the extent of the losses, noting that several properties were destroyed, many people injured, and appealed to the government to assist affected residents and strengthen emergency response systems, adding that the incident, which occurred around No. 69 Edibe Edibe, left many residents in distress.