Two people are feared dead in the fire that engulfed the Canadian High Commission in Abuja on Monday, even as President Bola Tinubu commiserated over the fire incident. The dead were Nigerians, while two others, also Nigerians, were hospitalised.
Elsewhere, the Samsung outlet in the popular Banex Shopping complex in the Wuse 2 District was on fire at the time of this report with no details coming out yet. A tiktok post on the inferno was trending on social media. Please see below:
The President sympathised with the Canadian government, diplomatic community, and all persons affected by the fire incident.
He assures the Canadian authorities of the full support of the Nigerian government in the aid of diplomatic and local staff of the High Commission who were particularly affected by the incident.
He prays for the repose of the departed souls and wishes all injured persons a rapid and full recovery.
The fire reportedly broke out while the embassy’s power-generating plant was being fixed.
A statement by the spokesman of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Nkechi Isah, disclosed that the two MIKANO power generating machines were being serviced by a five man team from JMD company when the fire incident happened this morning at about 10:45am.
One of the power generating set was said to be working, while the other one was being serviced.
The fire occured when the tank of diesel in the generator house, containing 2000 liters exploded.
Two of the personnel servicing the generator were fatally injured and two persons survived and are on admission at the National hospital trauma centre with severe burns, the statement added