No fewer than 100 people are feared killed after a massive explosion ripped through an illegal refining facility in Rivers.

Reuters cited the state’s petroleum resources commissioner Goodluck Opiah as confirming the incident on Saturday.

“The fire outbreak occurred at an illegal bunkering site, and it affected over 100 people who were burnt beyond recognition,” Mr Opiah said.

Dozens of others were reportedly injured in the explosion, and its cause could not be immediately ascertained. A spokesman for the fire service in Port Harcourt did not immediately return a request seeking comments.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the site at the boundary between Abacheke and Abezi community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, gathered that the explosion occurred at about 8:00 p.m.

Unidentified burnt bodies littered the area even as family members were seen moving away the remains of their loved ones.

A community leader and president-general of the Supreme Council of Oil and Gas Producing Areas in Imo, Collins Ajie, described the incident as unfortunate.

“It is unfortunate. A tragedy no one dreamt of where about 108 people got burnt beyond recognition due to illegal oil bunkering.

“It’s shocking to see these bodies lying down here. Most of them are breadwinners of their families. Most of them are young promising people, undergraduates and graduates,” he said.

The community leader noted that the Imo government had some time ago made efforts to stop this illegal business, but it yielded no fruit.

Also speaking, a resident, David Chibuike lamented that he was at the site in search of the remains of his elder sister.

A youth from Abacheke community,  Desmond Ajie, who expressed sadness over the development, expressed concern over the inability of community leaders and security agents to end illegal bunkering in the area.

“There is a conspiracy of silence by both those who call themselves leaders and security agencies because they failed to arrest this issue.

“It is unfortunate that those with capacity to put an end to this have failed,” he said.

Efforts to get official confirmation of the incident from the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mike Abattam, proved abortive as he didn’t respond to calls put across to him.