Tragedy enveloped the hometown of Uburu in Ebonyi State as Nigerian music star Patoranking’s sister, Chioma Onuabuchi, and her husband, George, were laid to rest following a devastating gas explosion. The burial ceremony, held amidst overwhelming sorrow, marked the final farewell to the couple who lost their lives in the incident on September 11, 2024.

The explosion occurred in their Abakaliki home, leaving the community in disbelief. A neighbor, Nwokporo Victor Uchechukwu, vividly described the harrowing scene: “We only heard the sound of an explosion in the afternoon. When we rushed to the compound, smoke was coming out of the new building with all the electronics destroyed. The ceiling, doors, and windows were damaged—it sounded like a bomb. At first, we thought it was a gas cylinder or maybe an inverter. Only God knows what was implanted in that house.”

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The Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident and detailed the couple’s struggle for survival. According to Ukandu, Chioma was the first to succumb to her injuries, followed shortly by her husband. He also revealed that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the explosion was caused by a faulty battery inverter or a gas cylinder malfunction.

“They have been in the hospital; the wife died first. She is the sister of Patoranking. Her husband died on September 11, 2024. We are still investigating the cause of the explosion, whether it was a battery inverter or a gas cylinder. We don’t have any confirmed facts yet,” Ukandu explained.

The late couple leaves behind a three-year-old son who was unharmed, as he was with his grandmother at the time of the explosion. The tragedy has cast a shadow of grief over the family and the entire community as they come to terms with the devastating loss.