JESSE — 1998 · Major Tragedy
The Jesse Pipeline Fire
On 18 October 1998 hundreds of people flocked to a leak in a state-owned oil pipeline linking the Warri refinery to the north, near the town of Jesse in Nigeria's Delta State, to collect fuel. The leak ignited, causing a massive explosion and fire. The death toll, initially put in the hundreds, rose above one thousand in the following weeks as injured people died, making it Nigeria's deadliest pipeline disaster. The government blamed deliberate puncturing of the line; local sources pointed to poor maintenance. The fire was put out by a foreign team only on 23 October. Many injured avoided hospitals for fear of prosecution.
- Date
- 1998
- Place
- Delta State, Nigeria, Jesse, NG
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 5.8600, 5.7500 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 18 October 1998An explosion and fire hit the pipeline at Jesse.
- 19 October 1998Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar visited the site.
- 23 October 1998An international team extinguished the fire.
Sources
- Wikipedia — 1998 Jesse pipeline explosion en.wikipedia.org ↗
- TheCable — How Nigerians have died scooping petrol thecable.ng ↗
- IFRC — Nigeria: Pipeline explosion information bulletin (1998) ifrc.org ↗
- Wikipedia
- TheCable
- IFRC
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.