At least three people died and 271 were injured by a strong gas explosion that occurred shortly before midnight in a Nairobi neighborhood, authorities and the Red Cross reported this Friday.
“We have three deaths so far and our teams are still checking here,” Deputy Inspector General of the Kenyan Police, Douglas Kanja, told reporters at the scene.
For its part, the Red Cross indicated on its X social network account that “the concerted actions of several response units have resulted in the successful evacuation of 271 people to different health centers in Nairobi.” The Red Cross added that, in collaboration with an ambulance service, it treated “27 additional people at the scene.”
Previously, the spokesperson for the Government of Kenya, Isaac Maigua Mwaura, had given explanations about the event. “Yesterday, Thursday, February 1, 2024, around 11:30 p.m., a huge explosion occurred in the Mradi area, in Embakasi,” about eighteen kilometers from the center of the Kenyan capital, Mwaura stated in his account on the social network
“A truck of unknown registration that was loaded with gas exploded, causing a huge fireball that spread widely,” the spokesperson explained. A gas cylinder hit a clothing and textile warehouse, resulting in the fire damaging vehicles and commercial property, including many small and medium-sized businesses.
According to Mwaura, houses in the neighborhood also caught fire and a good number of residents were in them.
The site, where fire trucks and emergency services personnel were deployed, has already been secured and authorities have established a command center to help coordinate rescue operations.
