- After a truck loaded with gas cylinders exploded in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, three people died and more than 200 were injured in a major fire.
- A government spokesman said via platform X that the truck exploded shortly before midnight for reasons unknown at the moment.
- Because of the late hour, many people were caught in their sleep by the fire caused by the explosion.
While the government spokesman spoke of 222 injured, a police spokesman in the morning put the number at 271 injured. Even hours after the accident, it was unclear whether the number of victims would increase. Several people are still missing.
“Huge fireball”
A “tremendous fireball” spread and hit surrounding shops and residential buildings in the commercial and industrial area in the Embakasi district. Since fabrics and clothing were stored in one of the shops, the flames spread quickly.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that 271 people were taken to various hospitals in the Kenyan capital during the rescue operation. It was initially unclear whether some of them were released after an examination and how many of the injured were in mortal danger.
Legend:
View of the burnt residential area in Embakasi.
Keystone/EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
According to government spokesman Isaac Mwaura, the fire site was secured on Friday morning. The investigation into the cause of the fire and the extinguishing of sources of the fire was ongoing.
Market stalls and huts destroyed by the flames
Television images from the fire scene showed a kind of crater where the truck had been parked. Market stalls and huts in a slum settlement, which were made of corrugated iron and wood, were also completely destroyed by the flames. An administration spokesman announced that the injured would be treated free of charge in the hospitals.