12 bodies burnt as fire razes OAU morgue

Twelve corpses were burnt in a fire outbreak that occured at the morgue of the Anatomy Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State today November 19th. The corpses were being used by the students of the department for their practicals.

The incident which could have wreaked havoc at the department was averted by the combined efforts of the security and fire services unit of the institution.

Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, the Public Relations Officer of the University made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Ile-Ife.

Olarewaju said that the fire, which broke out around 3:00 am, was allegedly caused by electricity surge which affected a section of the morgue where corpses are kept.

According to it, out of the 102 bodies that are kept in the morgue, 12 were affected by the fire outbreak.

“The department has made detailed arrangements to duly and adequately inform those who have kept bodies (corpses) in the morgue,” it stated.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede led other principal officers to the scene of the incident to assess the level of damage and instructed immediate repairs to the affected areas.

The vice chancellor had also constituted a three-member committee to look into the immediate and remote causes of the fire outbreak.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that normalcy of academic and administrative activities have since returned to the area.

VAM Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for Osun Police Command, Folasade Odoro, said no life was lost in the incident. She added that the cause of the fire is being investigated.