44 petrol looters are burnt in tanker blast

The ill-fated tanker goes up in flames at Kapokyek. At least 45 people were seriously injured in the blaze which occurred five months after the Sachang’wan tragedy in which more than 130 people died. Below: Photo/JACOB OWITI

What you need to know:

  • Fire started after man tried to steal battery from crashed lorry, according to witness

At least 45 people were seriously burnt on Tuesday night when a tanker from which they were siphoning fuel burst into flames at Kapokyek village near Kericho.

Of these, at least nine will require specialised treatment, according to Kericho District Medical of Health, Dr Ambrose Rotich.

Witnesses said the driver of the tanker travelling towards Kisumu from Kericho lost control and plunged into a valley before area residents rushed to scoop fuel.

Another witness, Mr Alfred Tom, said the fire could have been caused by an electrical fault. He said one of the looters attempted to steal the vehicle’s battery when the tanker burst into flames.

Engulfed in flames

He said the huge crowd that had gathered around the tanker was engulfed in the flames. The survivors were taken to different hospitals in Kericho town.

Kericho District Commissioner Samuel Njora said: “We have mobilised medical personnel from areas as far as Kisumu and the surrounding districts of Kipkelion, Bureti, Bomet and Sotik to help in the emergency.”

Fire brigade personnel from Kericho put out the fire at the scene.

The incident comes barely four months after the horrendous Sachang’wan tragedy in which more than 130 people perished in another fuel tanker tragedy. Eighty nine died on the spot with the others succumbing in various hospitals.

During the Sachang’wan incident, police officers tried to keep the crowds away from the dangerous cargo without success. Some survivors, however, claimed the officers were charging villagers a fee of between Sh50 and Sh100 to be allowed to fill their containers from the tanker.

Those who did not have it scooped the fuel from a nearby trench. When the tanker exploded, they were knee-deep in the highly flammable river of fuel. Many, burning human torches, died in a nearby thicket of blue gum trees, as they attempted to make their way to Molo River which is close to the road.

The forest also caught fire and some of it was consumed in the flames which burned for nearly three hours.Apart from the tanker, two other vehicles, a saloon and a sport utility vehicle, were burnt.

Their drivers of the two vehicles were said to have stopped to find out what was happening when the tanker exploded.Most of the victims were from Borop farm, Jolly farm, Kwa Mzungu village, Salgaa shopping centre, Sachang’wan centre and even as far as Total, 20 kilometres from the scene.

How the truck ended up in a ditch on that particular stretch remained a mystery because the road is flat and in relatively good condition. After the accident, the worst of its kind in Kenya, the government declared five days of mourning.

It took many of the survivors to Nairobi for treatment and promised to foot their medical bill. Among those who visited the scene were Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Security minister George Saitoti, among others.Prof Saitoti brought a condolence message from President Kibaki who at the time was attending an AU heads of state summit in Ethiopia.

The military — Kenya Army and the Kenya Air Force-— teamed up with the Kenya Red Cross and the ministries of Public Health and Medical Services to provide helicopters to fly survivors to Nairobi.