Scare as gas tanker leaks in middle of road

Emergency services on standby near a leaking gas tanker at Gitaru, Kikuyu, near the junction of the Southern Bypass and the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on June 21, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Police and emergency services responded immediately and cordoned off the area with traffic being diverted to other routes.
  • The incident that occurred at around 8.30pm on Wednesday night was confirmed by the Deputy Director and Communication Officer National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Pius Masai.

Traffic is flowing again on the busy Nakuru-Nairobi highway after a 12-hour closure prompted by a massive gas leak from a tanker at Gitaru, near Kikuyu, on the Southern Bypass on Wednesday night.

The tanker is said to have been leaking due to a malfunctioning lid.

Police and emergency services responded immediately and cordoned off the area, with traffic being diverted to other routes.

By 7am on Thursday, the road was open when engineers from the oil company managed to successfully transfer the gas to another tanker.

SUCCESSFULLY TRANSFERRED

The Wednesday evening incident was confirmed by Pius Masai, the deputy director and communication officer at the National Disaster Management Unit, who said a possible disaster had been averted.

“The threat is over. Safety and security measures were put in place until today (Thursday) morning when engineers from the oil company managed to successfully transfer the substance to another tanker,” said Mr Masai in a statement.

Mr Masai had on Wednesday night appealed to road users to adhere to police instructions for diversions and avoid the Gitaru Junction.

They were also advised not to come within at least 400 metres of the scene and prepare to respond and save lives in case of a fire but put personal safety first.

The tanker transporting the gas is said to have been leaking due to a malfunctioning lid.

QUICK RESPONSE

He also told motorists to avoid open fires near the scene while drivers were to avoid creating traffic jams by obeying traffic rules.

The security agencies’ response was quick and no incident was reported.

This contrasted with a disaster in December last year in Naivasha when a lorry carrying petroleum products from Mombasa to Kampala rammed several vehicles before bursting into flames.

Some 39 people died and scores of others were seriously injured in the crash.