Fuel Tanker and Lorry Collide, Burst Into Flames on Nairobi-Mombasa Highway
A fuel tanker and a lorry on Thursday morning collided and burst into flames a few kilometres from Mtito Andei along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
Footage obtained online showed smoke billowing from the tanker as transport operations on the busy road were paralysed.
Although the exact cause of the accident is not known, unconfirmed reports indicate that there might be casualties as emergency services descended on the scene.
It is believed that the drivers of the two lorries were burnt alive and perished in the aftermath of the accident.
The explosion resulted in both the trailer and tanker going up in flames with images online showing the two vehicles severely damaged.
In the aftermath of the accident, some motorists were forced to use the roadside which is littered with shrubs and vegetation. This is despite the risk that was present as petroleum fumes were still within the atmosphere.
Accidents involving fuel tankers are dangerous with the risk of explosion carrying deadly consequences. Most accidents result in residents trying to siphon fuel from the tankers, oblivious of the threat it carries.
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A notable incident of this nature happened in 2021 when at least 13 people died in Gem Sub-County, Siaya, after a fuel tanker exploded while residents siphoned the liquid from an overturned trailer.
The incident took place after the trailer ferrying fuel from Mombasa to Kampala lost control and rolled over the Kisumu-Busia highway.
In disregard of a potential explosion, the area residents rushed to the scene holding jerricans and began fetching the fuel only for the vehicle to explode, killing the 13 and leaving others nursing critical burns.
In an analogous situation in March 2023, at least four people died and several others were left injured after a trailer that was ferrying fuel along the Eldoret-Webuye highway exploded while residents were siphoning the flammable liquid.
The trailer burst into flames during an altercation between the locals and the area police officers, who attempted to stop the residents from approaching the transit vehicle.
Fuel Tanker and Lorry Collide, Burst Into Flames on Nairobi-Mombasa Highway
