NIGERIA While lunch was being prepared, one of the LPG-filled gas cylinders ignited. The resulting explosion sent the entire family to the hospital with severe burns. Fortunately, no one lost their life this time, but each of them will carry lifelong scars.
In Nigeria, as well as in many other places in Africa, gas cylinders are standard equipment in every kitchen. Gas pipelines don’t exist there, and electricity is expensive for cooking and often unreliable because the grid suffers frequent outages.
In theory, each cylinder should undergo regular inspection – pressure testing and corrosion checks. In practice, this safety protocol is almost never followed. Many cylinders in circulation are in completely unfit condition and are often refilled illegally. Because of this, similar incidents are unfortunately quite common.
