Eldoret Oil Tanker Explosion Death Toll Rises to 3 After Victim Dies in Hospital
The latest fatality brings to three the number of people who have died following the accident at Paul Boit area on Thursday night.
Nairobi, Kenya - The death toll from the oil tanker explosion near Eldoret-Turbo Road has reached three after yet another victim passed away while being treated at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Paul Boit area, resulting in 22 individuals being admitted to the hospital, many of whom are suffering from severe burns.
Dr. Andrew Wandera, a Senior Clinical Services Doctor at MTRH, revealed that seven patients are currently in the Intensive Care Unit due to burns covering more than a quarter of their bodies. The remaining patients have burns affecting their faces and bodies, and they are also under treatment at the hospital.
Dr. Wandera stated that two victims arrived at the hospital deceased following the accident, while medical teams worked to stabilize the survivors. Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Wilberforce Sicharani reported that the accident took place when a small tanker carrying petrol and diesel collided with another vehicle, causing the vehicle to lose control and crash on the road.
The commotion caused by the collision led to people rushing to the scene to collect spilled fuel. It was during this chaos that the tanker exploded, resulting in both fatalities and injuries.
Police suspect that the fire may have been ignited when someone at the scene accidentally touched the tanker's battery, although the exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii visited the injured victims at MTRH, expressing condolences to the families affected and cautioning the public against approaching such hazardous scenes.
Bii also criticized the movement of oil tankers through Eldoret city centre, urging the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the traffic department to explore measures for rerouting tankers through the Eldoret Southern Bypass instead of the downtown highway.
The county government has coordinated the emergency response, working alongside the Kenya Red Cross and other responders to evacuate victims and transport them to the hospital. They have also provided humanitarian assistance to the families impacted by the tragedy. Ongoing investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the fire and the accident.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
