The photo shows the burnt bodies of the victims of the oil pipeline blast. (Xinhua/AFP)

Backgrounder: Pipeline disasters in Nigeria in recent years 

    A pipeline exploded on the outskirts of Nigeria's economic capital Lagos on Friday, killing up to 200 people.

    In recent years, pipeline explosions have occurred frequently in Nigeria, causing heavy casualties.

    Oct. 18, 1998 - Thieves siphoning off oil sparked a pipeline explosion and fire that swept through the village of Jesse in the southern Nigerian state of Delta, killing more than 1,000 people.

    July 10, 2000 - Over 200 people were killed in a fire near Warri, southern Nigeria, when an oil pipeline from which they were trying to siphon off fuel exploded.

    Nov. 30, 2000 - An oil pipeline caught fire at a distribution center of oil products on the outskirts of Lagos, killing more than 60 people.

    June 19, 2003 - An oil pipeline exploded in a village in Abia state, killing some 100 people.

    Sept. 16, 2004 - Nearly 50 people were killed in a pipeline explosion on the outskirts of Lagos.

    Oct. 21, 2005 - Some 60 oil thieves were killed in a fire after a pipeline exploded in the southern Nigerian state of Delta. Enditem