Police officers were deployed on Tuesday, December 16, to prevent residents from siphoning fuel after a freight train derailed in the Soy area of Uasin Gishu County.
The incident occurred shortly before noon, prompting residents to alert police as panic spread in the area.
Preliminary reports indicate that the locomotive derailed while attempting to pass through a blocked section of the railway line, causing the front section to detach from the rest of the wagons.
Police Deployed to Control Crowd After Fuel Siphoning Attempt Following Train Derailment. Photo: Courtesy.
Images circulating online showed several wagons tilted and compressed against each other, with fuel seen leaking onto the ground at the scene.
Shortly after the derailment, residents converged at the scene, with some carrying jerrycans and other containers in an apparent attempt to siphon fuel from the tilted wagons.
Police officers were swiftly dispatched to disperse the crowd and cordon off the area, restricting access and preventing further interference as emergency operations commenced.
Members of the public were advised to keep away from the site to allow railway officials and other responders to manage the situation and restore normal operations.
Although train accidents remain relatively rare, the incident adds to several similar cases reported this year.
In August, eight people were killed in Naivasha’s Morendat area after a cargo train collided with a company bus that attempted to cross the railway line, leaving six people dead at the scene and two others dying later while receiving treatment.
