Families ask for DNA tests to help identify tanker explosion victims

Eldama Ravine District Hospital Medical Superintendent Philip Kamau with other medical officers attend to a victim of Saturday’s explosion. [Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

Nakuru, Kenya: The death toll of the Kamara petrol tanker has risen to seven after one more person succumbed to injuries.

The petrol tanker overturned at Kamara near Makutano along Nakuru-Eldoret highway attracting young men including a form two student who was killed in the incident.

Those reported missing include Erick Korir, Nahashon Kibet, Victor Kipkoech, David Mibei and Kipsang Lang’at all residents of Kamara.

At Eldama Ravine District Hospital where six victims have been admitted, four of them are in critical condition while two are stable. The hospital’s Medical Superintendent Philip Kamau said the victims will be discharged soon.

“We referred one to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Most had first acute burns. We have dressed the wounds, rehydrated them and are out of danger,” said Dr Kamau.

He said two, who had minimal burns will be discharged in two or three days.

The survivors Samuel Mutai, 30, and Silas Kipng’etich, 20, said it was their first time siphoning fuel and vowed never to repeat it.

“I  have never siphoned fuel before but I was a bit drunk and there was also pressure from my friends. I was scooping leaking petrol, when one man wanted to loot the vehicle batteries tried to disconnect it while the tanker’s engine was still on causing the fire,” said Mutai.

Kipngetich, however blamed ‘evil spirits’ for the rampant looting of goods on transit among the youth in the area despite plenty of food in the area.

Joan Korir, a mother of three lost her husband, Erick Korir, and she regrets allowing him to go to the scene.

“It was around 10pm when we had taken supper and had entered bed to sleep when some people called him to accompany them to the scene of the accident. I tried restraining him but he insisted that he was just going to ‘see’ then come back,” said Joan amid sobs. Korir, who worked as a tractor driver to provide for his family, was never to return.

David Cheruiyot, the father of 18-year-old Victor Kipkoech, a Form Two student at Kipsinendet Secondary School, said his son went out after lunch on the fateful day only to be discovered to have been among the victims.

“He went out after lunch and the following morning after hearing that there were people who died at an explosion, we called him and his phone was off. We later learnt that he was among them,” said the father.

Kipsang Langat, who was deaf, followed his friends to get their share of the freebies but as fate would have it, that was the place he would breathe his last, his brother Richard Kipngetich said.

The families are having a hard times trying to identify the bodies because some of them are burnt beyond recognition.

“Our culture as Kalenjins cannot allow mass burial. That’s why we need the Government to assist us in DNA tests because we have no money,” said Kipngetich.

Area chief Joseph Korir said looting started with the railway before the situation degenerated to highway looting.

“We have held meetings with the police and the locals to urge them to leave such behaviours once and for all,” said the chief.