Mass grave for Kenya fire victims

GAOC: Southern Africa

By Ruby Mercado and Emma Krause

This article can be found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7878487.stm

Several days after a supermarket fire in Nairobi killed 25 people, an overturned oil tanker also caught fire and exploded in the Kenyan town of Molo. It is estimated that over 130 people were killed in the tanker blaze and about 200 were injured, at least 148 of which are still undergoing treatment. The victims of the blast were buried in a mass grave located less than 100 meters away from the sit where the tanker caught flame. The victims were buried in a mass grave, something some families were opposed to, saying that the idea of burying their loved ones in a mass grave went against their beliefs.

Investigations about the cause of the fire are still underway, but it reports say that the probably caused by a lit cigarette or started deliberately. After the oil tanker was overturned many attempted to collect spilt fuel and were prevented from doing so, and so it's thought that perhaps one of them may have started the fire.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga reflected on the incident, saying that the true cause was prevalent poverty in Kenya, because it is "pushing our people into doing desperate things", while others criticised the authorities, saying both the Nairobi and the Molo fires were examples of the authorities failure to address public safety.