10 schoolgirls burnt in gas explosion
Ten schoolgirls, aged between 12 and 19, sustained severe burns following a gas explosion at Good Shepherd Catering School in Orokeonuoha, Ebonyi State.
The incident occurred over the weekend while one of the students was cooking in the school’s kitchen and allegedly answering a phone call near a gas cylinder.
The school, a Catholic-run institution, offers catering training for young girls. During the explosion, ten students were injured, and five of them are currently on life support at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki.
One of the victims is 17-year-old Chisom Nwizi, the daughter of Emmanuel Nwizi, a staff member of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Abakaliki. Mr. Nwizi shared the harrowing experience with journalists during a visit to the hospital. He explained that he received a distress call at 6:30 a.m., informing him of the explosion.
“When I arrived at the school, I saw students gathered in groups, discussing the incident. One of them mentioned that the explosion could have been avoided if a student hadn’t entered the kitchen with her phone,” Nwizi recounted.
He rushed to the hospital where the victims had been transferred. “When I saw my daughter, the burns were severe, but I have hope she will recover,” he said. He also praised the school authorities for their efforts, noting that they had not asked the parents for financial contributions yet, as they focused on saving lives.
The school’s Reverend Sisters have been actively supporting the students, staying at the hospital late into the night to ensure the victims receive proper care.
The authorities are investigating the incident, and the public is being cautioned against the use of phones near gas cylinders, especially in enclosed spaces, to prevent such disasters in the future.
