Nairobi, Kenya: A gas truck exploded in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi and blazed like a fireball into the night sky. The blazing killed three people and injured around 300 people on Friday, Feb 02, 2024.
The mishappening occurred at a makeshift gas-cylinder-refilling depot in Mradi estate, situated in Embakasi district in Nairobi, Kenya.
As soon as the incident happened, the residents of the nearby building screamed out loud as a column of flame shot hundreds of feet above in the sky just before midnight. The fireball blaze formed a mushroom cloud which can be seen clearly the video shared on social media.
As per the reports by the government, three people died in the explosion at a gas refilling plant, and over 280 people are being treated at the hospitals in and around Nairobi.
Considering the incident, the Kenyan Red Cross confirmed that the others are being treated at a triage point.
Reportedly, the fire engulfed at a nearby textile and garment warehouse, while damaging several vehicles and commercial and residential properties.
A survivor Edwin Machio explained, “The fire caught up with him from almost one kilometre away as he was escaping.”
He also said that the flames from the explosion knocked him down and burnt him on his neck. He took off his shirt to show burnt flesh on his shoulders and upper arms.
A person named Katharine Ngendo Gitau cried out loud as her father Francis was killed in the explosion.
Kenya’s Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) said that last year it had rejected three applications for construction permits for a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage and refilling plant at the site of the explosion because of the high population density around it.
EPRA added to its statement that it asked the applicant to submit a risk assessment ‘indicating the radiation blast profiles in the unfortunate case of an explosion’ but this was never done.
As per the current reports, the investigation is still in progress, as it was not immediately clear who owned the site.