Nigerian police say at least 26 people have been killed after thieves set alight a fuel pipeline in the commercial capital Lagos.
The fire around the pipeline, which belongs to state energy company NNPC and passes through a riverside community in the Apapa district of Lagos, had already been put out by the fire services, police said.
NNPC officials said that disruption of petroleum supply had been minimal and repairs on the pipeline were due to end shortly.
"The explosion happened when the vandals set fire to the pipe in the early evening yesterday ... The latest is that we have recovered 26 bodies," said a police spokesman.
"It is not unlikely that many more were killed, as it is difficult to trace bodies in the water. There have been reports of men in uniform being killed, but I haven't seen any myself yet," he added.
OPEC member Nigeria's oil industry has suffered numerous problems with local gangs stealing crude oil and siphoning off refined petrol from pipelines. In September an explosion in Lagos killed dozens of people.