Fire from gas explosion in Kenyan capital kills 2, injures hundreds

A gas explosion caused a fire that killed two people and injured over 200 in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, authorities said on Friday.

The explosion occurred in Nairobi’s Embakasi neighbourhood just before midnight at a gas refilling company, whose building was badly damaged, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on social media platform X.

Military firefighters gather near the scene of an explosion at a makeshift gas cylinder refilling depot in Mradi estate, Embakasi district, in Nairobi, Kenya, February 2, 2024. (Reuters)

The fire that followed then engulfed a nearby textile and garment warehouse, while damaging several vehicles and commercial and residential properties, he said in a statement to Reuters. “As a result, two fellow Kenyans have regrettably lost their lives while being attended to at the Nairobi West Hospital,” Mwaura said in the statement, adding 222 people were injured in the incident.

The Kenyan Red Cross said various emergency units had admitted 271 individuals to hospitals in Nairobi.

A Reuters picture from the scene of the fire showed one body lying on the ground, covered with a blanket, while smoke billowed from several burning houses nearby. Mwaura said the scene of the incident has been secured and a command centre set up to help with rescue efforts.

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