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| Africa Horn |
| Blast rocks Kenyan capital, at least 28 hurt |
| 2012-05-29 |
| NAIROBI: A blast struck a shopping complex in Nairobi’s business district during Monday’s lunch hour, wounding more than two dozen people, but there was confusion over whether the explosion was caused by a bomb or electrical fault. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere told reporters it was too early to determine the cause of the blast. He said blackened wires inside the trading center indicated a possible electrical fault and ruled out a grenade attack. Two shopkeepers, however, told Reuters independently that they saw a man drop a bag inside the trading center moments before the blast. “He came into the shop twice, looking at t-shirts. He said he didn’t have money so he left. Then he came back,” said Irene Wachira. “(He was) three shops away from where I was. He left a bag and a few moments later we had an explosion. The roof caved in and debris started falling on us,” Wachira said. Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Kenyans would not be cowed by “terrorists.” A spokesman for Kenya Power, the country’s sole electricity distributor, said initial investigations had ruled out any electrical malfunction. A military helicopter hovered in the skies above downtown Nairobi and the security forces cordoned off nearby streets. Dense black smoke billowed from a fire inside the badly damaged building and sirens blared as emergency service crews rushed to Moi Avenue, a major road running through the city center. Medics applied bandages to the walking wounded gathered by nearby buildings and some bystanders wailed in shock. Clothing, shoes and blown out windows littered the road. Crowds carried away people seen with blood streaming down their faces. Iteere said 28 people had been wounded. “Maybe it is these Al-Qaeda people. They are wasting life for nothing. Just innocent people going about their business,” said Wilfred Kimani who was several blocks away when the blast occurred. Outside Nairobi’s Jamia mosque, one Somali refugee who identified herself as Aisha said she feared a backlash if Al-Shabab or its sympathisers were behind the explosion. “It’s bad because Kenyans may get angrier now.” |
| Posted by:Steve White |