17th January, 2024
By Ibukun Emiola
The management of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan on Tuesday evening directed the off-duty workers of the premier healthcare facility to return to work to take care of emergencies that may arise from the explosion that rocked the ancient city on Tuesday
Oyo State Police Command and the State Government in different statements late Tuesday said the cause of the explosion is not yet known.
They also said the number of casualties from the incidents cannot be determined as at the time they issued the statements.
However, reports indicated that the explosion may have resulted in the collapse of some buildings with some people trapped and many others injured, especially in the Bodija area of Ibadan where the incident occurred.
It was gathered that a boarding school belonging to All Souls School in Bodija area of Ibadan suffered casualties.
Some of the affected victims were being moved to UCH for urgent medical attention as at Tuesday night.
The management of the UCH called its off-duty staff to return to work as a result of the high number of those injured during Tuesday’s explosion who were brought to the hospital.
A health worker, who confirmed this to NAN but asked for anonymity, said the UCH authorities directed them to report at the hospital to attend to the victims.
“They said more hands were needed to attend to those being brought in, and they were not sure of the number that can still come in later during the evening or early in the morning of Wednesday,” the worker said.
Another UCH staff also said the hospital authorities were particularly worried about those who might come in for admission as a result of the explosion’s “after effects”.
“I am sure it is not about those from the “immediate effects”.
“There are those who are likely to suffer from shocks, given that the first reports about the incident indicated that there was an earth tremor.
“These include those with high blood pressure and are hypertensive.
“Those with injuries from the buildings can be determined, but you cannot tell about those who got hurt after hearing news of the explosion or seeing its effect,” the health worker said.
However, the Director of Public Relations, the University of Ibadan, Mrs Joke Akinpelu, has denied that some buildings in the institution collapsed as a result of the explosion.
“There was nothing of such in the University of Ibadan. No building collapse has been recorded here,” Akinpelu told NAN.
(NAN)