Huge gas explosion and fire kills at least 3, injures hundreds in Kenyan capital

(CNN) — A gas explosion in Kenya’s capital on Thursday night killed at least three people and injured 280 others, according to authorities in the East African country.

Posted 5:59 a.m. Feb 2 — Updated 10:16 a.m. Feb 2

Mitchell McCluskey, Amy Cassidy

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Larry Madowo, CNN

CNN — (CNN) — A gas explosion in Kenya’s capital on Thursday night killed at least three people and injured 280 others, according to authorities in the East African country.

The blaze started when a truck carrying gas blew up in Nairobi’s Embakasi district at about 11:30 p.m. local time, “igniting a huge ball of fire that spread widely,” government spokesperson Isaac Maigua Mwaura said in a social media post.

Video posted on social media shows an explosion resulting in a huge fireball. CNN cannot independently verify the footage.

Residential buildings, businesses and cars were damaged in the blast and subsequent inferno, Mwaura said.

“As a result, three fellow Kenyans […] have regrettably lost their lives while being attended [to] at the Nairobi West Hospital,” Mwaura said.

“In addition, by now, 280 other fellow Kenyans were injured by the fire and have since been rushed to various hospitals,” he added.

“Psychosocial counselling is being offered to victims who have experienced trauma.”

The Kenya Red Cross said it had evacuated 271 people to hospitals around Nairobi and was “tirelessly battling the flames” alongside other agencies.

A command center has been set up at the scene to coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts, spokesperson Mwaura said, adding the scene was now secured.

“Kenyans are hereby advised to keep off the cordoned area in order to allow the rescue mission to be carried out (with) minimal disruptions,” he said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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