Benito Eze, state commander of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, confirmed the number of casualties to media in Umuahia, the capital of the state.
Eze said that 16 people, including one woman, died in the explosion that occurred at Umuaduru village, where some youths in the area were scooping petroleum products from vandalized pipelines.
He said three others died in the fire that occurred in a private residence at Umuimo village in the area.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
