UPDATE: Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) revealed that the fire on one of its trains that was bound for Nairobi was caused by an electric fault in the engine
"Today our locomotive on its way from Nanyuki caught fire due to an electric fault in the engine.
"Our engineers reacted swiftly and rectified the problem. Service will resume once a full inspection is done. The fire Brigade was called as a precautionary measure," read the statement in part.
A train has caught fire mid-journey at Kabuta village in Kiharu while travelling from Nanyuki to Nairobi.
A video seen by Kenyans.co.ke on Sunday, June 6, showed smoke emerging from the engine of the train even as firefighters tried to put out the fire.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or whether there were any casualties from the incident that occurred during the morning hours.
The train was transporting petroleum products to the city.
The accident comes just months after a commuter train headed to Nairobi from Nanyuki stalled at Ruthagati with more than 1,500 passengers on board.
In the January 2021 incident, Passengers were left in a state of panic and frustration after it stalled mid-journey for five and a half hours.
The train developed mechanical problems, before stalling at a remote ravine in Nyeri County.
"This started as an amazing train journey to Nanyuki but 12 hours later, Nanyuki is nowhere in site.
"We have been stuck at some ravine in Nyeri County for the last 5 and half hours after the train engine failed," lamented one of the passengers who was caught in the melee.
In 2011, another train in Nairobi caught fire while in Kibera hence endangering the lives of more than 1,000 people who were on board.
At the time, the train was heading towards Kikuyu when it caught fire in what engineers believed was caused by an electric fault.
The train drivers jumped out of the trains while it was in motion and began evacuating the commuters who were on board.
Below is the video:
Fire erupts in a train headed to Nairobi from Nanyuki at Kabuta village in Kiharu. pic.twitter.com/R1XjiKoROt
— Radio Citizen (@RadioCitizenFM) June 6, 2021
