A petroleum tanker explosion along the Eldoret-Webuye Highway on the night of Thursday, September 17, claimed three lives and left 23 others hospitalised, with survivors now recounting the harrowing moments that changed their lives.
The crash took place near Paul Boit High School in Tarbo Constituency, killing two people at the scene, while a third victim succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, where the remaining injured continue to receive care.
Boda Boda Rider Describes the Moment Fire Struck
Abraham Kimtai, a boda boda rider, was carrying a passenger when he came across the scene of the tanker accident.
He said he encountered fuel that had already spilt across the tarmac road, and before he could react, the petroleum reached him.
”When I arrived there, I found that people had spilt petrol. The fuel came back towards me and caught up with me. I had to get into the water to save my life,” Kimtai said.
His account paints a picture of chaos, with fuel spreading rapidly across the road and igniting before many bystanders could escape.
Families Mourn as Loved Ones Fight for Their Lives
Witnesses and family members who spoke from the scene described how some of the victims had approached the crashed tanker, unaware of what was to follow.
”Yesterday, a fuel tanker was involved in an accident, and these young men went there. Unfortunately, someone removed a part of the vehicle, and it caught fire. So we lost a young man called Elisha Kiposang,” one witness recounted.
A family member who lost a brother confirmed the identity of another victim.
”I lost my brother, who was called Taita Skiptanu Yegoo. There is also another young man called Elvis Kichirchir. He is in a critical condition, although his condition is not extremely bad. He has been taken to the ICU,” she said.
The 23 injured victims remain admitted at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital as families keep vigil, hoping for recoveries amid the grief that has settled over the community following one of the deadliest road incidents in the region in recent memory.
