An expectant woman was among eight people killed in an early morning fire in Kichinjio area of Makina, Kibra, Nairobi. Dozens of others were hospitalised with injuries following the inferno, which left many families homeless in the densely populated neigbourhood, according to witnesses. Kilimani police commander Patricia Yegon said investigations have been launched into the cause of the fire. "We are yet to get more details because those who perished have not been identified.
We have started investigations, and in the course of process, we expect to establish their identities," she told The Sunday Standard by phone. "During an assessment of the aftermath, she added: "We have seen and identified three victims at Kenyatta National Hospital, and they are all in stable condition." By midday Saturday, rescue operations were still ongoing.
The Standard captured a middle-aged man, who survived the ordeal, being attended to by Red Cross officers.
Plumes of smoke still curled from the debris, as the acrid scent of burned clothes, household items and scorched mabati structures filled the air. Residents stood in stunned silence, some lost in thought, others with their palms on their chins, struggling to come to terms with the tragedy that had just struck. Others braved the choking smoke in desperate attempts to salvage what remained of their belongings.
