At least three died and 280 injured

On Friday, the disaster zone in Embakasi district, south-east of Nairobi, was littered with blackened and smoldering sheets of metal, the remains of the roofs of houses gutted by flames and the charred carcasses of cars and trucks.

Louis Tato/AFP

This densely populated neighborhood (988,000 inhabitants, according to the 2019 census), located a stone’s throw from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, was rocked by a powerful explosion in the middle of the night. “A truck with unknown registration filled with gas cylinders exploded, causing a huge fireball that spread widely,” particularly affecting a textile warehouse, government spokesman Isaac Maigua Mwaura detailed on X, adding that the death toll was three and 280 injured were taken to various hospitals. were sent .

The flames then engulfed businesses and homes, with “a good number of residents still inside because it’s late,” he added. On Friday morning, residents of Maradi condemned the illegal storage of gas and gasoline in their neighborhood, accusing the authorities of laxity. Deputy Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said one person, the officer responsible for inspecting the site where the explosion occurred, was arrested.

“like an earthquake”

The explosion caused chaos and panic. Under the force of the explosion, the car was pulverized, and parts of the vehicles were found on top of the five-story building, police said. “The whole building was shaken by a huge earthquake, it felt like it was going to collapse,” said James Ngoge, who lives directly across the street from where the fire broke out.

Louis Tato/AFP

“We didn’t even know what was happening, it was like an earthquake. I have a business down the road that was completely destroyed,” he added. Felix Kirwa, a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) driver who lives in the area, says he grabbed “(his) young son” and ran away. “I didn’t know where my other two children ran to until this morning when I found them. They are safe,” he continued, happy that “only his leg was broken”. Vivian Njeri, a 34-year-old beautician who was being treated in a tent outside a hospital in Nairobi, said, “We were running and screaming because there was fire everywhere. .”

“illegal installation”

After the shock, some Maradi residents interviewed accused the government of being “irresponsible” by allowing storage facilities for flammable materials to operate in their neighborhoods. The Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA), which brings together oil and gas companies in the region, said in a statement that after investigating the site, it found that the explosion was caused by “illegal liquefied petroleum gas filling.” The collection site is located in a densely populated residential area.”

Louis Tato/AFP

According to the organization, the owner of the site and some of his customers were prosecuted in 2020 and convicted in May 2023 for this installation. “The owner continued to operate the illegal storage and filling facilities without complying with the minimum safety standards and qualified LPG personnel required by law, which led to this unfortunate disaster,” she lamented.