Panic spread across Okrika on the night of Tuesday, September 1, 2026 after an explosion at a local jetty left one person confirmed dead, several others injured, and more bodies feared missing.
Eyewitness accounts and community sources say the incident occurred around 8:30pm during an illegal oil bunkering operation at the jetty close to Okari community. The boat involved was a covered wooden boat, locally called a “purput,” that had berthed to load refined product.
According to a source familiar with the incident, the boat ran aground while being loaded. Despite knowing the boat had grounded, the young men continued the process, hoping rising water would eventually float it and restore balance.
“Water entered under the boat to make it float, but the level was not enough to give the boat balance,” the source said. “That was when the boat exploded. There was no fire incident. It was the explosion of the product and the air that intoxicated the people. They were inhaling the substance there.”
Residents said the chemicals used in refining the product caused severe damage. Some victims reportedly had the first layer of their skin peeled off after coming in contact with the substance.
Emergency responders and local vigilantes rushed to the scene to evacuate the injured. Some were taken to hospitals in Port Harcourt for treatment, while the body of the unidentified victim was recovered and deposited at the morgue. Community members said search efforts are still ongoing as there are bodies yet to be discovered around the jetty area.
The source explained that operators usually stop loading when a grounded boat loses balance, but in this case the men continued, expecting the tide to lift the boat. “That was wrong timing. That is why the boat exploded and caused this incident,” he added.
Authorities have not confirmed the owner of the boat, described as a covered plank and wood structure. Security agencies have urged residents to desist from oil bunkering and illegal handling of petroleum products, warning that such activities pose grave dangers to lives and the environment.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
