The death toll from the Mradi gas explosion in Embakasi, Nairobi increased to six after three more victims succumbed to their burns in hospital, officials said.
The victims had sustained serious injuries and were admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital where they succumbed, officials said.
Dozens of other victims have serious burns and are admitted in various hospitals in the city following the Thursday night explosion at a filling station.
They include at least 20 who were referred to KNH, which means they had serious burns.
Detectives said they arrested one of the directors at the National Environmental Management Authority even as they continued to look for more suspects behind the incident.
The arrested official is a deputy compliance director at Nema.
An autopsy on the bodies is planned as part of the probe into the deaths.
Police plan to among others charge those targeted with murder.
Many people were left with serious injuries and are hoping to be compensated by the owners of the yard and the government.
More than 300 people were injured and are being treated in various hospitals around the city.
Police said they are pursuing at least seven suspects in connection to the incident.
The suspects include one Derick Kimathi, the proprietor of the illegal gas filling plant, Steve Kioko, Kimathi’s partner, the driver of the truck that is suspected to have caused the explosion whom they are yet to confirm whether he escaped or was among the casualties.
Others are three NEMA officials who were suspended for allegedly issuing a license illegally to Kimathi’s company.
Kimathi through his lawyer Wandugi Kirathe has denied claims, saying he has been cooperating with police officers investigating the matter.
He had last year he made applications to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to get a license to operate a gas filling plant in the area but the applications were rejected.
He argues that he shelved the idea after EPRA rejected his applications on grounds that the site was not viable due to its closeness to the public.
And following the incident, the government announced a raft of measures to ensure compliance in the sector.
They include undertaking a fresh risk assessment for all LPG plants with the view of closing all non-compliant sites, demolishing all illegal sites, an immediate rollout of a government LPG growth strategy and strengthening the LPG data verification framework, among other measures.
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