Kenya’s senate is to summon officials at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra), including its CEO, in the aftermath of the blast that rocked Nairobi in the early hours of Friday, local media reports.
The invitation is to explain "where all the licenced facilities are located and the mechanisms put in place to ensure that they operate safely and that they are located at a distance away from residential areas," Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna is quoted as saying by Kenya’s Standard newspaper.
At least there people were killed and nearly 300 others injured in the massive blast. It happened when a truck laden with gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, a government spokesman said on Friday.
Authorities say 24 critically injured patients who sustained more than 60% burns have been transferred to bigger hospitals for more specialised care.
Kenya's energy regulator says the facility where the blast happened was illegal, saying it had previously rejected three applications to set up the facility due to safety concerns.
"All applications were rejected as they did not meet the set criteria for an LPG storage and filling plant in that area," the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) said in a statement.
Epra added the facility owners also failed to submit risk assessment evaluations.
"Epra noted the high population density around the proposed site, and the applicant was requested to submit a Qualitative Risk Assessment clearly indicating the radiation blast profiles in the unfortunate case of an explosion like the one that happened yesterday."
Police have cordoned off the affected area, and Epra is reported to be "tracking the masterminds", according to local news channel Citizens TV.
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