An explosion involving a gas pipeline has reportedly injured about 20 people and destroyed more than 50 houses in Aleto community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The incident occurred around 5pm on Thursday along the Old Bori Road, involving an allegedly ruptured pipeline belonging to the Nigeria Gas Company.

A resident of the community, Emmanuel, said the pipeline had been leaking for about three weeks before the explosion, adding that community leaders had notified the company about the situation without receiving a satisfactory response.

The Leader of the Eleme Legislative Council, Daniel Chuma, also alleged that he had written to the company over the leak and petitioned relevant authorities, including the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, but no concrete action was taken to prevent the incident.

Chuma, who visited the scene, said the explosion damaged more than 50 houses and several vehicles, while affected residents were rushed to hospitals for treatment.

“There was a leakage on another section of the Nigeria Gas Company. We wrote to them, and we did a petition to NOSDRA and Rivers State Ministry of Environment and copied the Police for urgent intervention,” he said.

He added that the community had requested a joint investigation into the earlier leakage but was uncertain about the actions taken by the authorities before the explosion occurred.

According to him, residents fled the area following the blast, while those who arrived at the scene were advised to keep their distance to avoid further danger.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, confirmed the incident in a statement, calling on relevant authorities to provide urgent assistance to the affected community.

The organisation appealed to the Rivers State Government, the Federal Government, the Ministry of Environment and other relevant agencies to intervene and support residents affected by the explosion.

“As of the time of this statement, YEAC-Nigeria has not independently confirmed any fatalities,” Fyneface said.

He added that volunteers from the organisation who visited the scene to verify the incident confirmed the presence of officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

However, the organisation said the cause of the explosion had yet to be independently verified.

YEAC-Nigeria urged NOSDRA to identify the operator of the affected facility and conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

It also called on the agency to invoke relevant provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, where appropriate.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over pipeline safety, emergency response and the consequences of reported gas leaks on host communities.