While three persons were seriously injured by the explosion, four others sustained injuries from flying objects.
The explosion, which occurred around 12.35pm, also damaged about 10 vehicles on the premises of the hotel, while part of the building was destroyed.
Punch learnt that some welders working on the premises of the hotel were using gas to weld some steel together, but one of the cylinder hoses leaked and the cylinder exploded.
It was gathered that while the welders were putting finishing touches to the last two pipes needed to complete the borehole project on the hotel premises, there was a blowback when the welding equipment was restarted, leading to a burst hose and eventual explosion of the gas cylinder.
An eyewitness, who was attending an event in the hotel and spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the explosion destroyed properties and shattered the legs of an expatriate.
The Director General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the incident, stated that the hotel’s emergency response plan was flawed as there was no emergency muster point.
He added that some of the injured victims had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit of the Lagos Island General Hospital.
Oke-Osanyintolu urged Lagos residents to remain calm as the agency would ensure no more gas explosions in the state, adding that the state’s Materials Testing Laboratory had been informed of the development and would conduct structural integrity and non-destructive tests on the building to ascertain its integrity.
