[DIV class=headline]'Dozens die' in Nigeria oil blast [/DIV]Dozens of people are feared dead in an explosion at an oil pipeline near Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos. "Over 100 people were burnt to death and beyond recognition following the explosion," Nigerian Red Cross head Abiodun Orebiyi told AFP. Eyewitnesses in Lagos said they had seen thick black smoke rising from a nearby area. There has been no official confirmation of casualties from the blast, which happened on Atlas Creek island. [DIV class=bo] There are some reports that the blast may have been caused by people stealing oil from a pipeline - which has led to hundreds of deaths in Nigeria in recent years. The BBC's Sola Odunfa in Nigeria says Atlas Creek is a small fishing community. Some residents use speedboats to commute from there to Lagos. The oil pipeline serves the Atlas Cove petrol depot, which supplies to south-western Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the world's major oil exporters. Militants have frequently targeted Nigeria's oil industry in the Niger Delta, further to the east.
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