Incredibly well timed Gema; the latest:
Blast hits Lagos airport
An explosion believed to have been caused by a chemical spill has created a huge fire at the cargo terminal of Lagos airport in Nigeria. Police said no-one was killed in the blast, but a number of people were seriously injured. Hundreds fled from the scene of the blaze, which sent huge plumes of smoke into the sky.
BBC correspondent Sola Odunfa reports that the fire was still burning three hours after the explosion in a cargo warehouse at about 1530 local time (1430 GMT) on Thursday. A customs official interviewed by French news agency AFP said the blast appeared to have been caused by a falling container of chemicals. It fell off a fork-lift truck and set fire to other goods in the warehouse, Patrick Akpoyipo said.
The airport serves the country's commercial capital, and the terminal would have been crowded with agents and clients at the time. Another customs agent, Ishau Afolabi, said he had seen five people with serious injuries at the scene.
The Associated Press reports that firefighters were initially battling the flames with a single fire engine hose. "The fire brigade is trying to put out the fire but no-one can get close," a witness told Reuters news agency.
Lagos, a city of 13 million, has a recent history of bloody disasters:
A factory blaze in the city in September caused at least 37 deaths.
Ethnic clashes in the city left 100 people dead in February.
In January more than 1,000 people were killed as a result of a fire at an arms depot.