Survivor recounts moments he escaped Naivasha tragedy

40 perish after tanker bursts into flames

Moments before the Naivasha accident on Saturday night that claimed over 30 people will remain etched in the minds of one of those who escaped death by a whisker.

Mr Simon Kanake who says he is lucky to be alive, says he does not know the whereabouts of his 70-year-old father, whom they were together before the tragedy struck.

He was narrating the how the accident happened as he drove with his wife and father from Nakuru to Nairobi.

According to him, a vehicle in front of him stopped abruptly and before he could understand what was happening, a loud bang was heard and a ball of flames followed after the explosion.

“…a huge fire plus…like there was a kind of vehicle that had been thrown up…and then we were being pushed backwards by vehicles in front of us. Fire was coming towards us like a river…the fire engulfed the top of my vehicle,” he told journalist at the Naivasha police station.

He added: “Then I don’t know what happened, I shouted to my wife and dad ‘can we get out’…I was struggling to unbuckle my seatbelt…I don’t know how managed to get out.”

He said after that, he saw his wife following him towards the direction where there was less fire but could not see his father.