Explosion kills at least 80 people

An explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southern Nigeria has killed at least 80 people, the emergency services said yesterday.

The blast occurred late Friday at the illegal site between the southern oil states of Rivers and Imo, police said.

"We recovered at least 80 badly burnt bodies at the scene," Ifeanyi Nnaji of the National Emergency Management Agency in the area, told AFP, adding that the toll could rise.

"We learnt many bodies are in nearby bushes and forests as some illegal operators and their patrons scampered to safety."

Many people had "severe burns", he said, adding some later died in hospital.

Nnaji said several burnt vehicles and jerry-cans used in scooping stolen crude and petroleum products littered the scene of the carnage.