A Professor of Geophysics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has debunked the explanation given by Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the police for the deafening blast experienced early on Saturday near Akure.
Professor Adekunle Abraham Adepelumi, after leading a research team to the site said emphatically it was caused by a meteorite.
ConcourseNews first reported that the blast, which left a crater on its trail, and destroyed several buildings, was caused by a meteorite.
However, Governor Akeredolu and the Police Commissioner Undie Adie attributed the blast to an exploded truck carrying dynamites for a quarry based in Edo state.
Akeredolu even said the truck sank with the impact of the blast.
Professor Adepelumi’s team has given a scientific explanation about what really happened.
The research group did a detailed analysis of the explosion site.
Here is the summary of the report:
” My research group carried out a detailed analysis of the impact site. A circular impact crater with 21m diameter and 7.8m depth was found which suggest a natural phenomenon.
“Water was found oozing out from the edges of the crater.
“A preliminary insitu vibration, noise, seismicity, water analysis, radioactivity studies, rock and soil investigation were carried out.
“Our findings suggest that the impact of the blasting covers 1 km radius of the surroundings of the crater.
“No evidence of fire or burning of anything was found within the vicinity. No evidence of radioactivity radiation was found within the crater and immediate vicinity.
“No evidence of buried vehicle, buried ordinance or IED was found. However, crack opening that vary in thickness from 3mm to 4metres occurs on the wall of most of the buildings but not at the base of the buildings.
“Also, foreign rocks and strange metallic objects were found within the crater. Most of the destruction occurs on top and roof/ceilings of the buildings.”
Professor Adepelumi at the site of Akure blast