The Red Cross in Nigeria has been touring villages in the south-east trying to persuade victims who were burned in a fire from a leaking fuel pipeline to return to hospital.

Many of the victims fled in panic before being treated following rumours they would be arrested for causing the fire.

The military leader, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, who visited the region on Monday, blamed the incident on saboteurs.

The fire, which killed at least seven-hundred people, has been put out after burning for a week.

The BBC Nigeria correspondent says some of the worst-affected victims have received no treatment because of a shortage of medical staff.