A massive blast and fire broke out near the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Embakasi, Nairobi, at about 11 a.m. on Thursday night, according to government spokesman Isaac Mwaura.
On Friday, February 2, Mwaura posted a statement claiming that a gas station close to Kabansora on Airport North Road caught fire.
But the source of the fire, he said, is still a mystery. According to reports, two individuals were killed and more than 165 were wounded in the blast.
Mwaura said, “The company was refilling gas cylinders when the fire erupted out and numerous individuals got hurt and were taken to the hospital,” but he did not indicate how many people had perished as of yet.
The company’s headquarters suffered extreme damage. Rescue procedures, including the deployment of fire engines, are ongoing; therefore, members of the public are encouraged to avoid the area,” the spokesman noted.
“The blast happened at a gas filling station,” according to Nairobi Police Chief Adamson Bungei.
Responding first responders sent burn patients and those injured to Kenyatta National Hospital, Mama Lucy Hospital, and Komarock Medical Centre as soon as they arrived at the site.
Photos taken by bystanders who hurried to the location to help the victims showed that they had suffered severe burns.
“An adult and a youngster, both seriously wounded, died at around 4:30 in the morning,” according to Embakasi OCPD Wesley Kimeto.
At Mama Lucy Hospital, a total of 167 wounded people were attended to; 142 of them were adults and 25 were children. KNH and Kenyatta University Hospital were notified of seven more seriously wounded patients.
After receiving treatment, most patients were given the go-ahead to monitor their own recovery and notify their healthcare providers of any issues.
Neighbours say the explosion came from an exploded LPG gas station behind skyline, Embakasi next to JKIA that was declared illegal but was to operate illegally.
BREAKING NEWS WHILE WE WERE SOUND ASLEEP.
The exploded LPG gas station behind skyline, Embakasi next to JKIA was declared illegal but because of corruption in Kenya,they allowed it to operate illegally.
I hope hapo sio penye ilikuwa watutolee gas ya 300 pic.twitter.com/TtnMCPLawD
— SHERIFF🤠 (@Fantasy_Genius2) February 2, 2024