The Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Ansu Dulleh, has confirmed that one person has died in the MIRA Gas Factory oxygen explosion that occurred in R&R Community, Japan Freeway, on Monday, September 15, 2025, with several employees of the company being badly injured and taken to JFK Hospital for treatment.
Speaking during the Ministry of Information regular press briefing on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Director Dulleh disclosed that he led a team of respondents to the oxygen tank explosion site in the Freeport community, and sources confirmed that one person, a Lebanese national, died as a result of severe injuries.
According to him, medical reports received by the agency suggests that several survivors are in critical condition, with some being at risk of losing their sight or suffering long-term breathing difficulties.
He said authorities of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Liberia National Police (LNP), Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have immediately deployed rescue and response teams to the site and currently investigating the cause(s) of the explosion.
He noted that the public will be updated every time and with findings and recommendations.
Meanwhile, Dulleh has expressed sorrow over the life lost and several injuries, and called on Liberians to pray for the victims and their families. “What we witnessed yesterday was heartbreaking. Survivors were terrified, families have been left devastated, and many are still in critical condition. This is a wake-up call for all of us,” he said.
The director said about 38 individuals were within the compound at the time of the explosion, and 21 were directly affected. “As we speak, 20 individuals are hospitalized at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center and other nearby clinics,” he added.