Residents and workers on Industry and Harbour Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, are still in shock after the explosion that rocked a flour mill factory on Friday.
The officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Rivers State Fire Service, who responded to the distress call, had a hectic time putting out the fire.
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Thomas Bariere, the State Commissioner for Special Duties, disclosed that no casualty was recorded.
He said, “The explosion wreaked havoc on the facility and affected the buildings and firms in the area, but there were no human casualties.”
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Back story: Reports gathered from residents and eyewitnesses suggests that there was an explosion at a flour mill factory in Port Harcourt. The explosion was said to have happened at 11 am on Friday morning.
While some residents explained that the flour mills facility has been non-functional for over a year before the explosion, others disclosed that the incident occurred during grain processing, as barley was being transferred into the storage tanks.
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The explosion wreaked havoc on the facility and affected the buildings and firms in the area, but there were no human casualties.
As of the time of this report, the area had been evacuated, while an investigation into the possible cause of the explosion has commenced.
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The Flour Mills is a combined grain terminal and flour mill. The storage silo at the grain terminal serves Port Harcourt Mill and the Niger Delta Flour Mills in Onitsha.
The Rivers State and the Bayelsa State governments jointly own the facility.