Flames engulf a gas tanker, claiming 2 lives and injuring hundreds

In a major blast that left at least two people dead and over 200 injured in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, a truck carrying petrol burst into flames on Thursday afternoon, leaving at least two people dead.

The explosion, which was reported to have been caused by Isaac Maigua Mwaura on the social networking site X, allegedly caused a “huge ball of fire which spread far and wide”.

“Residential houses in the neighbourhood were also destroyed by the fire, and several cars and commercial properties, including a variety of small and medium-sized businesses, were also damaged by the inferno because it occurred at night.”. A number of residents in these houses were still inside as they were caught inside due to the late hour.

It is reported that 222 people were sent to a number of different hospitals in the city for treatment following the incident, and at least two of these people died because of their injuries.

There have been 300 injuries reported by the Kenya Red Cross so far.

Embakasi, a neighbourhood southeast of the city, was badly hit by fire on Thursday night when the fire broke out.

According to neighborhood media outlets who aired photos of the incident, there appeared to be a massive fireball near many houses.

Across the street from where the fire started, James Ngoge, a young man whose family was residing in the house at the time, said he and his family heard an explosion that shook the house.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, there was such a strong shaking to the entire structure that it looked like it was going to fall. We were completely shocked at first; the tremor was as strong as an earthquake. Our business on the road was severely damaged as well.”

People were forced to sleep on the roads after the fire forced them to flee their homes.

Police have sealed off the area, but several people have been spotted gathering their belongings and assessing the damage despite the area being sealed off by police.

There have now been a few steps taken to secure the scene, and our troops are working on establishing a command centre to coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts,” Mwaura said.

According to TimeNews, this is the latest news.