At least 37 die in Niger Delta fuel siphoning incident

At least 37 people died and many more were missing after inhaling toxic fumes during an illegal fuel siphoning operation at a jetty in Nigeria's Niger Delta region, officials and community sources confirmed. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. According to multiple accounts, a large group of youths, estimated to number in the hundreds, arrived at the jetty in locally made boats. They were attempting to load petroleum products from an illegally tapped point on a pipeline while a vessel was simultaneously docked at the jetty loading fuel for export. The pipeline is reported to transport products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical facility through the Port Harcourt Refinery. As the loading proceeded, a powerful odor from the high-pressure petroleum product saturated the air. Victims inhaled the fumes, with many collapsing on the spot or staggering and falling into the river. Survivors were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment of severe respiratory complications.