Three of the bodies, said to be adult males, were found inside one of the stores at the OPIC plaza by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) around 7am on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday night after a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker exploded at Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, affecting a plaza housing dozens of organisations.

“The latest is that we just recovered three dead bodies this morning, which was beyond our expectation,” said Farinloye while giving an update on the incident on Sunrise Daily.

He added, “Yesterday, we made a headcount and management officials of the plaza were around, officials of all the organisations using the plaza were around; only one boy was claimed to be missing and unfortunately, we could not trace the boy yesterday night.

“Unfortunately, when we got there this morning, we saw three dead – one Mr Balogun who was the manager of the Chinese restaurant. He was recovered with two other personnel of the restaurant.”

The NEMA spokesman noted that the victims seemed to have made an attempt to escape from the building when the incident occurred.

He explained that this possibly led to their death, while the boy said to be missing since Thursday night had yet to be found.

The Committees on Petroleum Downstream and Gas Resources were asked to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the explosions with a view to preventing reoccurrence and report to the Senate in two weeks.

The decision was taken after a point of order moved by the Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola, on the issue.

The red chamber also observed a minute silence in honour of innocent Nigerians that lost their lives in the unfortunate events.

It also directed the National Emergency Management Authority and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to immediately send relief materials to affected victims.

The federal lawmakers also urged the Federal Government to offset medical bills of hospitalised victims.

The federal lawmakers also urged the Federal Government to offset medical bills of hospitalised victims.

They also asked the Department of Petroleum Resources, Lagos State Town Planning Authority, the Fire Service and the Federal Road Safety Corps, to review the modus operandi, safety procedures of transporting gas in Nigeria.

Adeola had while presenting his motion, explained that on September 24, 2020, a massive gas explosion occurred at Cele Bus Stop, Iju-Ishaga in the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.

He noted that the explosion caused serious body injuries to no fewer than 44 persons and destroyed 36 buildings including a church, an event centre and a plank market.

He said the resultant inferno destroyed 26 vehicles within a radius of 300 metres of the explosion.

He said the incident totally destroyed multi-billion naira properties and businesses of many citizens.

Adeola noted that about two weeks later, on October 10, 2020, a similar gas explosion occurred at Candos Road, Baruwa, Ipaja-Ayobo, in the Alimosho Local Government Area.

He said a tanker exploded from sparks of a running power generator in the plant and claimed the lives of 18 people.

He also said 25 houses and 16 lock-up shops filled with goods worth millions of naira were burnt.

He said the Tanker Owners Association in Nigeria estimated that over 80 per cent of all articulated vehicles as the ones involved in these incidents lacked safety protocol requisite to their operations and plying of public roads.

It was gathered that apart from the deceased aged 35, who lost his life, four others sustained various degrees of injuries.

Confirming this incident, the Head of Public Affairs, Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA, Nosa Okunbor, said that Olaoye died while working on heavy-duty equipment.

“Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, it was discovered that there was an explosion from a gas cylinder used in welding a truck flatbed with an unknown registration number. The explosion was a result of gas leakage from the cylinder.

“However, an adult male (Ajibola Olaoye, 35yrs) lost his life at the scene of the incident and four adult males sustained injuries and had been rushed to the hospital before the arrival of emergency responders.

“The dead victim was bagged by the LRT and handed over to his family in the presence of Officers of the Nigerian Police Force from Amukoko Division,” he said.

It was reported that the fire happened as a result of a call being made by an unidentified resident which escalated to other nearby shops.

The director-general of Lagos Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu said only 23 were injured, adding that those who suffered burns have been evacuated to the Burns Unit, Gbagada General Hospital.

He said five persons including three children and two adult female were seriously burnt and currently admitted at the Gbagada hospital.

“Further investigations revealed that the fire ignited as a result of a call being made by an unidentified resident which escalated to other nearby shops and a bungalow behind the shops.

“Unfortunately, two children (male and female) lost their lives and multiple burn casualties were recorded; a total of 23 in number. “The second body met at the scene was identified as Damilare Afolabi and the remains were bagged by the LASEMA Response Team (LRT) and handed over to the family,” he said.

It was gathered that from investigations conducted by the LASEMA team at the scene of the incident that the 13 shops gutted by fire was due to a gas cylinder that exploded in one of the shops.

The fire was said to have started from the shop which had several cylinders filled with gas. The gas swiftly escalated the ensuing inferno to very high degree.