Three persons have been confirmed dead in a gas explosion that rocked the Biodun Alaadun area of Ona Ara local government area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on Friday night.

Although unconfirmed reports said many lives were lost in the explosion, the Oyo State Fire Service team, led by the General Manager, Mr. Akinyinka Akinyemi, who was among the first responders on the scene, confirmed three casualties.

Reports indicated that the explosion occurred while a tanker was discharging gas into a retail outlet.

The casualties were said to include the owner of the gas shop and others who were nearby at the time of the incident.

The General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Yemi Akinyinka, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with Channels Television.

He noted that ” contrary to the claim by some that several people lost their lives, three lives were lost, including the shop owner and those dispensing the gas.”

He added that operatives were promptly deployed to contain the situation.

Akinyinka said, added that normalcy has since returned to the area as those affected have been evacuated (Channels)