LAGOS, Nigeria ---- 200 people were feared dead.

[cobra palden]

LAGOS, Nigeria - A ruptured pipeline exploded Friday in southwestern Nigeria as villagers rushed to collect oil gushing from it and the Red Cross said a number of people perished in the flames. A local TV station said up to 200 people were feared dead.
Firefighters were on the scene of the explosion at Ilado, a village about 25 miles east of Nigeria's main city of Lagos, and Red Cross workers were helping survivors.
"There was a big fire and quite a number of people died," Red Cross spokeswoman Okon Umoh said. Many of the bodies had fallen into the water of the coastal village. She gave no further details.
The blast came as villagers flocked to the ruptured conduit to scoop up fuel that was gushing out. Nigeria's Channels Television reported that up to 200 may have perished in the explosion, but that couldn't immediately be confirmed.
Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer, the world's seventh-biggest exporter and fifth-biggest source of U.S. oil imports.
Despite the oil riches, most of Nigeria's population remains impoverished and people often tap into pipelines crossing their lands, seeking fuel for cooking or resale on the black market. The highly volatile petroleum can ignite, incinerating those collecting it.
In September 2004, an oil pipeline exploded near Lagos as thieves tried to siphon oil from it, with up to 50 people perishing in the flames. A 1998 pipeline blast killed more than 1,000 in southern Nigeria.
Most of Nigeria's oil is pumped in the southern Niger Delta region, far from the village. But pipes carry the crude to refineries across the vast nation.