Fresh details have emerged on the fire incident involving a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker near the Fedha Estate matatu stage in Embakasi South Constituency, Nairobi County.
According to a matatu driver who was at the scene, the truck produced a loud bang as if it had hit something. However, when he peeped through his side mirror; he noticed a gas leakage.
"I was approaching a nearby stage to pick up passengers when I noticed a lorry following me. Just as I was about to park, I heard a loud bang, like the lorry had hit something. Checking my side mirror, I saw a gas leak from the lorry."
"Realizing the danger, I quickly moved my vehicle away from the stage. Shortly after I moved, the lorry exploded. Thankfully, my tout is safe," the matatu driver narrated.
Another witness disclosed that the fire erupted when a matatu driver behind the truck ignited his vehicle trying to escape the gas leakage.
"There was a Nissan parked nearby and its driver was hesitant to move so he left it there. The lorry driver asked for instructions, and we advised him not to start the lorry while we pushed the Nissan. However, the Nissan driver ignited his vehicle, which led to the fire," the witness explained.
Unfortunately, the driver of the matatu died after he failed to escape and his vehicle burnt down into a wreckage. The driver of the lorry fled after asking onlookers to vacate.
The explosion comes days after victims of another blast in Embakasi East that claimed 12 lives sued government agencies.
The blast, which took place in February and left several people nursing injuries, saw households moved to social halls for shelter after their homes were decimated by the flames.
Among the agencies that were sued included the National Environment Management Authority, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and the County Government of Nairobi.
The Attorney General, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Cabinet Secretary for Energy, and the owner of the gas tanker that exploded were also mentioned as interested parties.
The petitioners claimed that the respondents had awarded operating licenses and approvals to the tanker to operate and had failed to take necessary action after the blast occurred.
