Major fire
Two dead and 222 injured after explosion in Nairobi
Firefighters extinguish a fire caused by the explosion of the truck loaded with gas cylinders. photo
© John Ochieng/AP/dpa
Major fire at night in Nairobi: The fire brigade fought the flames for hours. The preliminary balance: two dead and more than 200 injured.
After a truck loaded with gas cylinders exploded in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, one Major fire killed two people and injured 222. A government spokesman announced on the X platform – formerly Twitter – that the truck exploded shortly before midnight for an unknown cause.
A “tremendous fireball” spread and hit surrounding businesses and residential buildings. Since fabrics and clothing were stored in one of the shops, the flames spread quickly. Because of the late hour, many people were surprised by the fire while they were sleeping.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that 271 people were taken to various hospitals in the Kenyan capital during the rescue operation. It is still unclear whether some of them have been released after an examination and how many of the injured are in mortal danger. According to government spokesman Isaac Mwaura, the fire site has now been secured. The investigation into the cause of the fire and the extinguishing of sources of the fire is ongoing.