The students who were identified as Godstime Chuks from Petroleum Engineering Department and Omare Sunny who is the only child of his parents from Mechanical Engineering Department were said to be on Industrial Training in the company.
No fewer than two students of the Petroleum Training Institute in Effurun, Delta State, reportedly died in a fire caused by an explosion at Matrix Energy Limited in Warri.
The students who were identified as Godstime Chuks from Petroleum Engineering Department and Omare Sunny who is the only child of his parents from Mechanical Engineering Department were said to be on Industrial Training in the company.
There had been explosions at the Matrix Energy Limited Depot in Warri, Delta State, on Friday night.
The fire was said to have broken out with a shattering explosion that rocked Ifiekporo, Ubeji, and other nearby communities.
It was learnt that a total of 12 persons including workers and cookers who were on night duty suffered various degrees of injuries from the unfortunate incident and are currently being treated at the Ogiame Ikenwoli Hospital in Ubeji, Warri.
The company in statement signed by the management affirmed that there was a fire incident at their LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs.
The statement reads in part "There was a fire incident at our LPG Facility in Warri at about 19:25 hrs yesterday the 8th of July 2022.
"Immediately the incident occurred, our company activated its emergency response plan and the situation was brought under control by the intervention of our fire/safety team along with safety team from the Warri Refinery Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC).
"Support from the Delta State Fire Service, the Warri Refining Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) also came in promptly and we all succeeded in curtailing the spread of the fire. We have commenced a post-incident investigation to establish the immediate and remote cause of the incident and will effect actions in line with our high safety standards.”
However, the Students Union of Petroleum Training Institute, in a letter signed by the Union Present, Christian Efe, on Sunday and addressed to the company, asserted that two of their students died in the incident.
The union gave Matrix 24 hours to debunk the information, stressing that it was capable of causing chaos in the students community.
They also mandated the company to reach out to the family of the deceased who were on National Diploma Industrial Training, with immediate effect.
"Our attention has been drawn to a communique from Matrix Energy Limited stating that no casualty was recorded from the explosion that occurred on the 8th of July, 2022.
"It is on record that two National Diploma graduates of the Petroleum Training Institute who were undergoing their Industrial Training lost their lives to the cold hands of death due to that explosion. Such information is misguided, inhuman, unfair and evil.
"We frown at this occurrence and blame the management for not putting all necessary safety precautions in place which however, has led to the death of two young and vibrant students preparing for Higher National Diploma at their early prime.
"It is based on this, we are calling on the management of Matrix Energy Limited to as a matter of urgency debunk that information as it is capable of causing chaos in the students community and as such reach out to the family of the deceased with immediate effect. Failure to do this within the next 24hours, we shall be left with no other option than to mobilise our students in full force to shut down all forms of operations in that company.
"While hoping that justice will be served, we call on all concerned students both past and present to remain calm and not panic as we will be engaging the PTI National Alumni and relevant stakeholders to also swing into full action soonest.
"Until the right thing is done and justice is served nothing shall discourage us," the letter reads.