Scores killed in oil fire in Kenya

MOLO, Kenya – An oil spill from a crashed truck erupted into flames Saturday in Kenya, killing at least 89 people who were trying to scoop up free fuel, officials said.

Patrick Nyongesa, the regional manager for the Kenya Red Cross, said 89 people died and more than 200 were injured after a crowd gathered around the crash in search of free fuel.

The crash was in Molo, several hours outside the capital, Nairobi.

Local newspapers have criticized the government for poor safety.

On Wednesday, a massive fire swept through a supermarket in downtown Nairobi, killing at least 25 people.

After the supermarket blaze, the Daily Nation said Nairobi’s 3 million people are served by just one fire station situated close to a traffic-choked business district.

“Ours is a modern city with an 18th-century firefighting infrastructure,” the newspaper said in an editorial.