3 killed in pipeline explosion

Three people were killed and several wounded when an oil pipeline exploded during repair works in Niger Delta, an environmental group said on Tuesday.

The blast happened on Sunday but bodies were only recovered on Monday after the fire was brought under control, residents said.

"The news of another tragic incident in the oil industry which claimed three lives ... came to the Environmental Rights Action (ERA) as a great shock," said Alagoa Morris, an activist at the group.

He said the pipeline belonged to Italy's ENI but there was no immediate confirmation from the company.