Man, 2 kids, in-law injured in Warri house explosion

By AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE WARRI — FOUR persons, including a four-year-old girl, were, yesterday, seriously injured following an early morning explosion that rocked a two-bedroom apartment along Okere-Ugborikoko road by Metsharun junction in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. The victims are Mr. Jonathan Ebatefa, 40; his two children, his in-law, Mrs. Oghenemine Sunny and Favour Sunny, her four-year-old daughter. Vanguard gathered that the explosion which occurred about 6.40 a.m., caused panic as residents scampered for safety. The explosion, suspected to be from a gas cylinder, came after 10 persons were burnt to death along PTI road last Sunday in a Delta City Bus. Vanguard observed that the iron door into the house and the burglary proof of the windows were pulled out while the gas cylinder was intact. At press time, doctors were battling to save the life of one of the victims, Mr. Jonathan Ebatefa, at Estate Specialist Hospital. Mrs Oghenemine Sunny, and her four-year-old daughter, Favour, were also being treated for severe burns at Island Clinic Hospital along Okere-Ugborikoko road when Vanguard visited. Mrs. Ebatefa, who escaped unhurt, told Vanguard that the incident occurred shortly after their morning prayers when her husband went into the kitchen to check the gas cylinder following a complaint about it the previous day. She said: “My husband filled our gas cylinder on Monday night but we could not use it because it developed a fault. We wanted to put it to use again this morning and the same problem repeated itself. My husband went into the kitchen to fix it but the next thing we heard was an explosion.” Contacted, Warri Police Area Commander, ACP Rabiu Hussaini said the explosion resulted from gas. “I sent my men there and the preliminary investigations revealed it was a gas explosion,” he said.