Kenya: Blast kills 3 in Kampala-bound bus

  1. Posted on Tuesday 21 December 2010 - 13:11
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    Alex Kiarie, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
    A suspected grenade attack ripped through the side of a Kampala-bound bus, killing three people and injuring scores of others in the heart of Kenya's capital Nairobi on Monday evening. One of the people killed was the man suspected to have been the bearer of the explosive ordinances.
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    He died on the spot, while two others died while undergoing treatment at the MP Shah and Kenyatta National hospitals where they had been rushed to after the blast.

    The explosion came a few hours after the Ugandan intelligence issued an alert over impending Al-Qaeda attacks. The blast occurred during a security undertaking by the bus company's (Kampala Coach) security check on the passengers as they boarded the bus to Kampala. Already, about 30 passengers were seated ready for the journey, and majority of them were the ones injured.

    The conductor, Hussein Abdulaziz, who was at the scene when the explosion happened, said the bus was running late on schedule due to a delay, hence there was a minor scramble for the seats by passengers, leading to some confusion. "The bus had arrived late and the passengers were scrambling to get in as we screened them. In the confusion, there was an explosion before I saw at least six people lying here," he said.

    Senior police and intelligence officers led by the Kenyan Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere arrived at the scene immediately after the blast. "We can confirm that one person died and we believe he is the one who was carrying the explosive. Our experts are working on the scene to know more," said Iteere when talking to the press. He also added that the man who died on the spot is believed to have been carrying the explosive since his waist and stomach were completely ripped out. The police took his fingerprints to ascertain his identity.

    Reports later indicated that three suspects had been shot dead by the police but the reports are yet to be confirmed.

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