The Cross River State Government has confirmed that nine persons were burnt to death during a gas explosion in Ikom local government area of the State, even as a family of three were burnt to death in the inferno.
Of these nine numbers, from three household that were involved in the inferno, family of Eddie Bekom lost three family members, Eddie Bekom himself, wife and a daughter and the remaining one is in a critical condition and in danger list.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Rosemary Effiom Archibong, disclosed this while expressing gratitude to Ebonyi State government for assisting the victims of fire disasters.
Late Eddie Bekom who was a staff of Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC) died on Sunday, the day where over 30 other Nigerians died from another fire inferno caused by fuel that consumed part of the Calabar Free Trade Zone (CFTZ).
Mr Eddie Bekom’s sad and painful death occurred on Sunday, July 16, 2017 following second degree injuries he sustained from a fire incident occasioned by gas explosion. Late Bekom’s two children and wife were among the twenty (20) persons who had sustained second degree injuries over a gas explosion, the daughter and wife died much earlier” our investigations revealed.
“The incident affected 3 families in the estate in Ikom. The three families were in one of the flats in the building that fire burnt down” a source hinted explaining that the explosion occurred from one of the flat when a house wife fiddled with the gas burning equipment (Burner and Cylinder).
Eddie until his demise was the Vice President, Sport Writers Association of Nigeria, (SWAN) South South Zone and SWAN has declared a three day morning in his honour.
The SWAN in a release signed by the Secretary General, Olawale Alabi, regrettable the lackadaisical attitude of the Cross River State Government in spite of being informed immediately the incident happened and the fact that Eddie Bekom worked for the State government.
