An explosion inside a large drainage channel at No.1 Old Nekede Road, opposite Lakeside Hotel in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, has killed two suspected scrap metal scavengers.
The victims were identified as 32-year-old Hyginus Akalonu, a native of Umulumu in Ehime Mbano LGA of Imo State, and 22-year-old Victor Egwu from Agba in Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State.
According to a statement by the Imo State Police Command spokesperson, Henry Okoye, the two men sustained severe burn injuries in the blast and were rushed to the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Owerri, where they were pronounced dead while receiving treatment.
Okoye said operatives of the Command, acting on a report from residents in the area, swiftly mobilized to the scene, cordoned off the vicinity, and deployed the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit to secure the area and conduct a thorough sweep.
"Preliminary investigation revealed that the two victims were inside the drainage channel at the time of the explosion," the police spokesperson stated.
The Command’s EOD Unit has launched a full-scale investigation to determine the cause and exact circumstances surrounding the incident. Okoye assured that further updates would be provided as the probe progresses.
Reacting to the incident, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, reassured residents that the Command is on top of the situation.
The CP urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious objects or activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency lines.
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