At least 4 dead as fuel tanker explode in western Kenya

At least four people were killed and dozens of others injured when a petrol tanker hit a minibus and two other vehicles, burst into flames and exploded on a highway in western Kenya, police said on Friday.

“The driver of the tanker lost control of the vehicle and (the tanker) swayed off the road and hit a 14-seater minivan, a salon car and another tanker before it exploded,” local police commander Thomas Ototo said.

Firefighters from neighboring towns were called to extinguish the fire that razed shops and open-air markets along the Webuye Eldoret highway, in Trans Nzoia county, about 400 kilometers northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

“Many people were trapped inside the vehicle (minivan). The death toll could be high. We only managed to rescue a few because the fire and smoke were strong,” said an eyewitness.