Bonny-Bille-Nembe jetty fire: Five pipo including pregnant woman and two-month old baby die for midnight fire for Rivers state

One pregnant woman, one baby and three odas dey among di pipo wey die for one early morning fire for di Bonny-Bille-Nembe jetty for Port Harcourt.

Di incident happen around 12am on Monday, 11 April, 2022.

One eye witness wey see as e happen tell BBC Pidgin say na around midnight im hear alarm say fire don burst for di waterside community.

"Around dat midnight dem come knock my door say fire! Fire! I rush come out come see say evriwia don cover wit fire. Na so we begin fight am till now. No fire service come here."

E add say di fire start wen pesin draw pumping machine to pump out water from one of di boats wey carry drums of kerosene.

According to am na so di fire spread to oda boats wey follow get gas cylinders.

'I loss my small pikin for di fire'

One woman wey manage escape from one burning boat wit two of her pikins lose her two-month baby for di incident.

She tell BBC Pidgin say she loss pikin wey she dey breastfeed wen di fire start.

"We bin dey sleep as our boat reach Port Harcourt for midnight from Kula. Wetin wake us up na di fire. Na so I grab my children to run but di small one fall comot from my hand.

I no go lie, I no sabi swim o! Na God naim help me I manage with di oda two senior ones come out. Di small one don die."

She add say e dey like dream for her as she still never believe say her pikin don die.

Many pipo wey come Monday market from di riverine communities, sleep inside di local boats and fear dey say dem don die as rescue efforts still dey kontinu to pull-out dead bodis and boat engines from di water.

Wit di loss of lives, many speed and cargo boats wit goods worth millions of naira destroy for di fire disaster.

No rescue efforts on time

Tok tok pesin for Rivers State Police Command Grave Iringe-Koko say dem don begin investigation to ascertain di number of casualties and wetin cause di fire.

For fire wey start around midnight, residents for di area tok say na dem use dia hand to quench di fire and find survivors.

Even around 9am, BBC Pidgin no see fire service or emergency personnel on ground to salvage di situation.

Na di local boys wey fight di fire since midnight na im still dey ground for di rescue efforts.

Dis no be di first fire for di jetty.

For November 2021, anoda big fire lead to loss of three children.

According to di Police, di disaster bin start wen some pipo bin dey offload illegally refined petroleum products from boats.

Di Bonny-Bille-Nembe jetty na one of di major jetty for wey pipo from di riverine communities for Rivers and Bayelsa State dey use bring fish and oda seafood come sell for Port Harcourt and na major connection oda riverine communities for both States.

See more fotos from di fire at midnight: