This archive report was first published on 18 July 2021.
On Saturday night, a fuel tanker fireball in Malanga, Gem, on the Kisumu-Busia highway, killed 13 people and left many more missing, with fears that the death toll could rise.
The incident occurred when a tanker overturned while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle, hitting another and rolling over at 10:30pm.
As the tanker burst into flames, villagers, mainly boda boda riders, scooped fuel with jerrycans, resulting in 12 people being burnt on the spot.
Police fear that some may have been burnt completely near the oil tanker, after bones were found on the scene.
Fire crews arrived two hours later to douse the inferno, while those injured in the blast were taken to hospital.
According to Charles Chacha, a local police chief in Siaya County, the tanker burst into flames as villagers scooped fuel that was flowing.
As many as 27 people were hospitalized, while several others were reported missing, with no exact figure given on the missing people due to the increasing number.
Police boss Karanja Muiruri warned locals to learn from the incident, saying, 'I appeal to locals to always learn from the lash incidences where we have lost lives in similar circumstances.'
Deadly fuel truck accidents are not uncommon in Kenya and the wider East Africa region, with similar incidents occurring in 2009, 2015, and 2019.
