At least two people were killed and 10 evacuated to various hospitals following a petrol tanker fire near Paul Boit Secondary School along the Eldoret-Turbo road in Uasin Gishu County.
Police said they collected two bodies from the scene on Friday dawn following the fire.
Rift Valley police boss Samuel Ndanyi said they had collected at least two bodies. The victims had dashed to the scene to collect spilling fuel after the tanker broke down and before the fire broke out. The incident, which occurred on Thursday night, triggered a mass casualty response, with fears that several people may have been injured or killed in the explosion.
The Kenya Red Cross said it deployed teams to the scene and was responding in collaboration with the Kenya Police Service and firefighters.
“Kenya Red Cross is on the ground responding in collaboration with Kenya Police and firefighters,” the organisation said in a post on X at around 10:30 pm on Thursday.
The fire had reportedly been contained by around 4 am on Friday following a multi-agency response.
However, the exact cause of the fire remained unclear, while the number of casualties had yet to be conclusively established.
Motorists were urged to avoid the affected section of the Eldoret-Bungoma Highway to allow emergency teams unhindered access as they continued with rescue operations and investigations.
Multi-agency teams remained on the ground to assess the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over the safety of petroleum tankers operating on Kenyan roads, particularly the risks posed by fires and explosions involving highly flammable fuel.
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