Oil blast kills at least a dozen in Nigeria

An explosion at a crude oil pipeline in southern Nigeria has killed at least 12 people.

Police in Rivers State said the blast was caused by thieves who were trying to steal oil.

In the creeks of the Niger Delta, criminals frequently break into the pipelines and take the oil to illegal refineries.

This hurts the country’s economy and also causes environmental damage.

A civil society group said the number killed was far higher, as all the people who had gathered at the tapping point were killed in the explosion.