Gas explosions at an industrial building in Kenya’s capital sent a huge plume of fiery smoke rising over homes, killing two people and injuring hundreds, authorities reported.
Kenya’s Red Cross posted on X that it had successfully evacuated “271 individuals to different health facilities in Nairobi.”
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said a company was refilling gas cylinders when the fire started just before midnight in Nairobi’s Embakasi neighbourhood and badly damaged the building where the company was based.
The fire then engulfed a nearby textile and garment warehouse, while damaging several vehicles and commercial and residential properties, he said.
“As a result, two fellow Kenyans have regrettably lost their lives while being attended to at the Nairobi West hospital,” Mwaura said, adding 222 people were injured in the incident.
The fire was later extinguished but the cause was unknown.
Wesley Kimeto, commander in charge of police in Embakasi said the two dead included an adult and a minor and warned that the toll may rise further.
Nairobi residents who took several videos with their phones were heard speaking in concerned tones, some of them screaming.
Reuters pictures from the scene of the fire showed one body lying on the ground, covered with a blanket, while other footage showed several nearby houses burning.
With Reuters and Associated Press