A pregnant woman is among 18 people who have died in a blast at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria.
The blaze took place early on Monday when a homemade refinery ignited a nearby oil reservoir, leaving victims severely burned, according to a report by AFP news agency on Tuesday.
According to Al Jazeera, illegal refining is common in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria as impoverished locals tap pipelines to make fuel to sell for a profit.
The practice, which can be as basic as boiling crude oil in drums to extract fuel, is often deadly.
Nigeria – a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and one of Africa’s largest petroleum producers – has for years tried to clamp down on illegal crude refineries, with little success, in part because powerfully connected politicians and security officials are involved, local environmental groups say.
