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Patoranking’s sister and husband die in gas explosion, leaving 3-year-old son
The police in Ebonyi State have confirmed that a gas explosion caused the death of a couple in their Abakaliki residence, contrary to widespread social media claims suggesting an inverter or dynamite explosion.
According to the police, an initial investigation revealed that the explosion, which took the lives of Mr. George and Mrs. Chioma Obasi, was caused by a gas leak. Chioma was the sister of popular Afrobeats singer Patoranking.
The explosion severely injured the couple, who were rushed to a hospital in Abakaliki by their neighbors. Tragically, Chioma died five days after the incident, while her husband, George, passed away shortly afterward, according to a family source who spoke to the Daily Post.
The couple is survived by their three-year-old son, who was upstairs watching cartoons with his father’s phone at the time of the explosion.
Since the incident, conflicting reports have circulated regarding the cause. Some speculated it was an inverter battery explosion, while others suggested foul play, with claims of a dynamite blast due to the couple recently celebrating their new home.
A neighbor believed the explosion was more likely caused by a bomb, citing the extensive damage to the ground floor of the building, including shattered electronics, broken windows, and destroyed doors.
However, police spokesperson Joshua Ukandu debunked the bomb theory, confirming it was a gas explosion, likely caused by a gas leak and ignited by a spark when a door was opened.