No fewer than three people have been killed and over 270 others injured in an explosion in Kenya’s capital on Friday when a truck packed with petrol exploded in Nairobi.
According to reports, firefighters were able to put the fire under control about 9:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), more than nine hours after it began.
“Sadly, residential houses in the neighbourhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as it was late at night,” he added.
According to Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspector General of Police, at least three people died and 271 were admitted to various Nairobi hospitals.
The fire started just before midnight on Thursday night in the Embakasi neighbourhood southeast of the city.
Images shown by local media showed a massive fireball near many residences.
According to reports, multiple buildings and automobiles were torched by the inferno caused by the explosion, with photographs from the site showing charred vehicle wreckage.
“We were in the house and heard a huge explosion,” James Ngoge, who lives across the street from where the fire broke out, told newsmen.
“The whole building was shaken by a huge tremor; it felt like it was going to collapse. At first, we didn’t even know what was happening; it was like an earthquake.
“I have a business on the road that was completely destroyed.”
Many inhabitants in the neighbourhood were forced to spend the night outside after the explosion, with enormous columns of black smoke billowing from the region while police secured the situation and roped off the damaged area.
Some residents were spotted retrieving their belongings and assessing the damage to their homes.
“The scene has now been secured, and a command centre is now in place to help coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts,” Mwaura said.
