A gas explosion incident claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.
The explosion that led to a fire outbreak occurred on Sunday, November 19 evening.
Police officers and the family of the deceased confirmed that the boy was physically challenged and could not escape the fire when tragedy struck.
According to reports, the fire broke out on the rooftop of a three-Storey building after a gas cylinder explosion and quickly spread to the adjacent houses causing mayhem.
As such, neighbors rushed to help in putting it off as the fire engines joined in.
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However, they could not save the 13-year-old as they found his remains in a room after containing the fire.
On the other hand, Property of unknown value was destroyed in the incident as Police said preliminary findings revealed cause of the fire as a gas cylinder explosion.
Notably, this is the third time such an incident involving a gas cylinder has been reported.
Other Explosion Incidents in Nairobi
In August this year, one person died while three other people were injured in a gas cylinder explosion within Eastleigh area in Nairobi.
According to a police report, the deceased who was a middle-aged woman was hit by an object as she escaped from the scene of the explosion.
Similarly, at least four workers were injured in a gas cylinder explosion at a hotel in Nairobi’s South B area on 4th November 2023.
The explosion happened at Frizzle Bites Restaurant at about 3.30 pm as the staff there were busy preparing food.
Some revelers who were present were injured but managed to escape the scene.
Further, officers from the Anti-Terror Police Unit were called to the scene and declared the cause to be a gas cylinder.
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Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei also reported that the injured were in a stable condition in hospital.
“The workers have also confirmed it was a gas cylinder explosion. No need to panic,” said the police boss then.
Similarly, the explosion led to activities halted on the main street where the incident happened as scene of crime experts combed it.
Notably the Eastleigh incident is the latest incident to happen in the city amid calls for agencies tasked with looking into the standards of gas cylinders.
