Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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December 26, 2007

At Least 40 Killed in Christmas Day Blast at Nigerian Pipeline
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1AB5340:A6F02AD83191E160B55418DA49632F5E0531BB26A5003E7B& Explosion occurred
as villagers were trying to scoop fuel from ruptured pipeline that
caught fire 



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width=210 vspace=2 border=0>

A picture shows dozens of jerry cans used for stealing fuel abandoned
at the scene of the oil blast at Abagbo village in Lagos, 26 Dec
2007Nigerian authorities say a pipeline explosion and fire killed at
least 40 people Tuesday (Christmas day) in the south of the country.

Authorities Wednesday said the blast occurred in a village in the
southwestern state of Lagos. They said villagers were trying to scoop
fuel from a ruptured pipeline that had been vandalized when the fuel
caught fire.

Oil explosions are frequent in Nigeria, Africa's top exporter of crude
oil. Last December, fire on a gasoline pipeline in another area of
Lagos killed at least 269 people. Many of the victims were said to be
siphoning fuel from the vandalized pipeline.

Another 150 people were killed in a similar explosion last May.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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