Blast sparks blaze at Lagos oil depot

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By Bill Lehane & news reports

 09 January 2013 15:11 GMT

An oil depot in the port area of Lagos where many tankers dock to unload petroleum products has been hit by a major explosion and fire, Nigerian authorities have said.

The blast, which shook buildings in the Apapa area, happened during a transfer of fuel, the country’s emergency management agency NEMA said, according to reports from the BBC and Reuters.

Four people are believed to have been injured in the blast.

A NEMA official told the BBC the oil depot at Tin Can Island port where the explosion occurred was owned by MRS Oil.

A witness on a nearby ship named Willem Auret told the station he saw a tanker barge catch fire at about 1000 GMT.

"The fire started slowly and then expanded into…

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