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Leaking oil pipeline in Nigeria (symbol image)
Photo: Friedrich Stark / IMAGO
According to official figures, more than 100 people died in an explosion at the depot of an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria overnight.
The accident happened in Rivers State in the Niger Delta.
The victims were burned beyond recognition, said the region's oil commissioner, Goodluck Opiah.
A representative of the NGO Youths and Environmental Advocacy Center confirmed the incident.
The explosion destroyed several vehicles.
They would have stood in a queue because the owners wanted to fill up with illegal fuel.
Unemployment and poverty have made illegal crude oil refining an attractive business in the region.
Crude oil is tapped from a maze of pipelines owned by major oil companies and refined into products, such as fuels, in makeshift tanks.
The dangerous practice leads time and again to fatal accidents.
In October, an explosion at another illegal refinery in Rivers killed at least 25 people, including some children.
In February, authorities said they had carried out a raid to stop refining of stolen crude oil.
Government officials estimate Nigeria is losing an average of 200,000 barrels of oil a day due to pipelines being tapped or damaged.
That's about ten percent of production.
A barrel is 159 liters.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer.
With more than 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populous country on the continent.
sms/reuters