An overturned petrol tanker exploded as hundreds of people were trying to scoop up free fuel, killing at least 111 people and wounding 200, officials said today.
Nearby hospitals were packed with victims, including small children, suffering from horrific burns.
“Everybody was screaming and most of them were running with fire on their bodies, they were just running into the bush,” said Charles Kamau (22) who was driving through the town of Molo last night when he saw the road blocked by hundreds of
people surrounding the overturned truck. As he waited to get through, the petrol ignited.
Burnt-out cars and charred clothing littered the road where the shell of the tanker stood in Molo, about 105 miles outside the capital, Nairobi.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said at a news conference that it appeared that someone’s cigarette caused the explosion.
The Kenya Red Cross said the death toll was 111 but was expected to rise. “Most of the families will have a hard time because these bodies are charred beyond recognition,” said Patrick Nyongesa, the regional manager for the Kenya Red Cross.
Similar blasts are common in Nigeria, where people tap gas pipelines to steal fuel for cooking or resale on the black market.
In 2006, a petrol explosion killed 200 people in Nigeria. The Kenyan government has been criticised for poor safety regulations recently.
AP