Source: M&C News

By Tia Goldenberg

Nairobi/Abuja - Hundreds of people attempting to steal fuel from a pipeline in Nigeria were burnt to death on Tuesday, proving that as the West African nation becomes wealthier from its oil riches, the country's poor suffer.

Tuesday's blast came after oil thieves vandalized the pipeline, which ran through one of the commercial capital Lagos' suburbs. Hundreds had rushed in to scoop up the precious oil, when the fire erupted.

'It is pandemonium,' said Ige Oladimeji, a Nigerian Red Cross officer on the scene, where some 10,000 people had gathered to witness the disaster. 'Over 200 people are burnt beyond recognition.'

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Posted by pichu at December 26, 2006 11:14 PM