Rivers State has been hit by two separate tragedies, leaving 17 persons injured and two dead.
A gas cylinder explosion occurred at Oraszi, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday, while a road crash claimed two lives in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt on Friday night.
The gas explosion, which happened when a cylinder was being refilled at a roadside shop, resulted in a fire that spread rapidly, burning nearby shops and goods displayed outside.
A source in the area revealed that most of the victims were passersby who were close to the gas refilling shop when the explosion occurred.
The victims were immediately rushed to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Emergency unit for urgent attention.
The hospital confirmed that 17 persons were injured in the explosion, with various degrees of skin lacerations.
In a separate incident, a road crash around Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt claimed two lives.
The victims were driving in a Toyota Corolla car when the accident happened. According to a member of the police team that brought the victims to the hospital, the driver drove under a stationary truck, resulting in the deaths of the two occupants in the front seat.
The third victim, a lady who was seated in the back, was still alive but in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.
Gas Explosion Injures 17, Road Crash Claims Two Lives In Rivers is first published on The Whistler Newspaper