Firefighters try to extinguish a blaze in a northern suburb of Lagos following an explosion on an oil pipeline reportedly ruptured by a piece of earthmoving equipment. [Photo: AFP]

A pipeline fire massive explosion broke out Thursday morning at Ijegun of Alimosho local government area of Nigeria's economic hub Lagos, razing down several houses, with many feared dead, an official with the Nigeria police force told Xinhua.

Usman Ahmed Yusuf, divisional police officer at Ikotun police station, said on the phone that the pipeline, vandalized by some criminals, exploded and caught fire around Pako bus stop area of Ijegun at about 11 a.m. Thursday.

He said houses, including Ijegun Comprehensive High School, were being razed by the fire while undisclosed numbers of people have died in the explosion.

Yusuf said they are still counting bodies and it is feared the death toll could be much higher.

According to him, police personnel, officials of the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Red Cross society and other related government agencies was on ground to salvage the situation and to ensure security.

"The explosion happened in a densely populated area, and that is why we're having these high casualty figures, in fact I cannot confirm the numbers of people to you," he said.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Frank Uba, also confirmed the incident but refused to make further comment, but said the fire was still on.

"We want to be accurate about the casualties' figure we are giving out," he said.

Rampant vandalism over the oil pipelines has led to several such havocs in the state in recent years. In December 2007, an oil pipeline explosion killed more than 40 people in Lagos' outskirt area. In September 2004, such explosion took place near Lagos, leaving 50 people dead. A 1998 pipeline blast killed more than 1, 000 in southern Nigeria.