40 killed by suspected toxic fumes in Nigeria

About 40 people were killed early Thursday after inhaling suspected toxic chemical fumes from a petroleum product in Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers State, reported Xinhua, quoting local authorities.

Blessing Agabe, spokesperson for the Rivers State police, told Xinhua by telephone that the incident occurred near a crude oil processing site in the Okrika Local Government Area, where the victims were suspected to have been exposed to high concentrations of hazardous gas.

The police, as well as local health and emergency authorities, have launched an investigation into the incident, while some victims were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment, Agabe said.

Citing community sources, The Nation Newspaper, a national daily in Nigeria, reported that about 200 young people arrived by locally made boats to load petroleum products from an illegally tapped point on a vessel anchored at the Okari jetty along the riverside early Thursday. During the loading, the pungent fumes from the product filled the air and choked the victims.

At least 37 bodies, identified as Okrika residents, were recovered from the scene, while many others remained missing, the newspaper reported, citing local sources.