More than 10 people are feared dead following an incident involving a suspected petroleum product at a creek in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Emerging reports on Thursday indicated that the victims allegedly inhaled the substance while it was being pumped through a pipeline under high pressure.
The incident, which reportedly occurred two days ago, was initially linked to the alleged illegal tapping of petroleum products from a pipeline in the area.
According to the initial reports, the victims were allegedly transferring the petroleum product into boats through an unauthorised connection to a pipeline believed to convey products from a company through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that come to load the products for export.
However, findings by our correspondent in communities around Okrika have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Residents who spoke on condition of anonymity said the victims were fishermen who had gone to a creek near the Beat Four pipeline area when the incident occurred.
The residents disputed claims that the victims were involved in crude oil theft, noting that security guards and surveillance personnel were stationed along the pipeline routes in the area, making illegal tapping difficult.
They alleged that an explosion occurred at the site, releasing the substance into the surrounding area.
According to the residents, the victims may have inhaled the substance following the explosion, while the strong movement of the river reportedly made it difficult for some of them to escape.
The incident has plunged affected families and communities into mourning, with relatives insisting that the deceased were not involved in illegal oil activities.
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The wife of one of the victims, Arabibia Minanyo, told our correspondent that her husband died in the incident and had already been buried according to their customs.
Speaking alongside one of her sons, Minanyo said the incident occurred two days ago and denied allegations that her husband was involved in illegal oil activities.
An elder brother of another victim also narrated how his younger brother died, insisting that he was not involved in oil theft.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about what actually happened at the creek and the nature of the substance involved in the incident.
As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to publicly establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths or confirm the exact number of casualties.
Further investigations are expected to determine the cause of the incident and establish whether the victims were involved in illegal oil activities or were caught in an accident at the pipeline location.