Several police officers are feared dead after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive divide (IED) in Garissa on Tuesday, February 14.
Daadab Deputy County Commissioner Kipkurui Siele confirmed reports indicating that the explosive device blew after it was driven over.
Photos seen by Kenyans.co.ke show the police Land Cruiser overturned with the front cabin and engine completely shattered.
The number of police officers in the vehicle was yet to be ascertained by the time of publication.
“We have reports of a police vehicle hit by an explosive but I am yet to know the exact number of casualties," Siele stated.
The detonated explosive created a big depression at the centre of the road. Meanwhile, a second police vehicle in tow was stopped a few metres away from the scene.
Siele added that the contingent of cops were Border Patrol Unit (BPU) officers who left the Abdi Suku camp in Daadab heading to Garissa.
An emergency response team arrived on site to rescue survivors of the attack. The police have launched investigations into the matter.
The attack is the second to happen in Garissa in as many months. On January 11, three people died after their pick-up truck overran an IED at Hailey, in Bura East constituency.
Tuesday's incident comes a few days after police intercepted two suspected Al Shabaab militants implanting IEDs along the Sedahgose-Amuma road in Fafi.
Officers recovered one AK47 and assorted materials used by the militants during their targeted operation in Garissa County.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki maintained that the ministry has hell bent on erradicating terrorism in North Eastern Kenya, adding that he would work with the locals.
