One dead, three injured in in gas truck explosion

The tanker was ferrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas from Mombasa. [Photo: Courtesy]

One person was burnt to death and three others hospitalised when a truck carrying liquefied gas burst into flames on Tuesday.

The explosion followed an accident involving the truck and two other vehicles.

The accident happened in Chyullu, along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, at around 2am on Tuesday.

The vehicles were reduced to ashes.

“The gas truck was on the wrong side of the road before it collided with a Mombasa-bound truck. Fortunately, there were scores of people who managed to escape unhurt. Two are hospitalised at Voi Sub-County Hospital and one in Kibwezi,” said Makueni County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed.

Mr Maalim said the gas truck driver may have been tired or sleepy when the accident occurred.

“Employers should have at least two drivers and desist from forcing drivers to reach certain destinations at certain time because that acts as a recipe for accidents,” Maalim warned.

The accident caused a traffic snarl-up on the highway as vehicles were diverted at Emali to Loitokitok and joined the Mombasa-Nairobi highway at Voi.

Emergency services were mobilised from Nairobi to contain the situation and unblock the highway.

Emergency officers dispatched to the scene found fireballs as the gas tank cabin continued to burn uncontrollably. They tried to siphon petrol from the trucks around to prevent more explosions.