Twelve corpses have so far been recovered and several people including children missing in the early Monday morning fire that engulfed Bille,Nembe and Bonny Waterfronts in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
A source who lives close to the area told our reporter that the incident happened about midnight , after a boat carrying passengers and goods landed in one of the jetties and another boat, was discharging the refined products .
Although what triggered the inferno could not be ascertained at the moment, It is believed that cigarette butts around illegally refined petroleum products might have ignited the inferno.
The waterfronts are said to be a haven for storage and discharge of illegally refined petroleum products.
Current matters gathered that no fewer than 3 wooden boats and about 20 flying boats were affected. Most of the missing passengers were said to have gone down with the debris of the boats into the river while search and rescue efforts by relevant agencies are ongoing..
