Kenyan police are battling a crowd siphoning fuel from an overturned tanker along Eldoret-Webuye road in Kakamega County.
According to police, the crowd rushed to the scene with various jerricans, oblivious to the dangers they posed to themselves and the area.
The trailer, carrying 39,000 liters of super petrol, overturned in the Mukhonje area on Monday night en route from Eldoret to Malaba. The driver told police he lost control of the trailer, veered off the road, and landed in a ditch. An unknown amount of fuel spilled, attracting the mob.
Dozens of police officers arrived to seal off the area and disperse the crowd, securing the scene.
Police reported no injuries, and experts are investigating the accident. Police spokesperson Dr. Resla Onyango called the locals’ actions dangerous, noting, “We are lucky not to have experienced any ugly incident.”
Officials from the Kakamega fire brigade assisted in securing the scene.
Similar incidents in other parts of the country have turned deadly when fires broke out, causing fatalities and injuries.