Nairobi, Kenya—A overturned fuel tanker exploded into a massive fireball on a major commercial highway today, killing thirteen onlookers. The truck had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle, losing balance and crashing into a drainage ditch where its cargo tank ruptured. A large crowd of local residents rushed to the scene to view the wreckage before the fuel vapors ignited.

Firefighting crews from adjacent municipalities spent nearly an hour battling the intense petroleum blaze, which completely incinerated the truck cabin and several nearby motorcycles. First responders found a scene of total destruction along the shoulder of the highway, with the bodies of the thirteen victims severely burned by the sudden thermal wave.

"The explosion was instantaneous, sending a wall of fire through the drainage ditch where people were standing," a traffic police commander stated at the perimeter line. The officer emphasized that highway patrols had been rushing to the site to disperse the crowd when the ignition occurred.

Medical personnel transported twenty-four injured survivors to a regional hospital, where twelve are currently listed in critical condition with third-degree burns covering most of their bodies. The specialized burn unit has requested emergency medical shipments from the capital to manage the severe tissue trauma cases.

Forensic teams are working to recover the remains from the charred asphalt, a process that is expected to delay the reopening of the vital economic transport corridor until tomorrow morning. The highway serves as a primary logistical link for commercial freight trucks moving goods between the coast and landlocked interior regions.

The national transport authority issued an urgent warning to rural communities along major transit routes, highlighting the extreme danger of approaching crashed cargo vehicles carrying hazardous chemical or petroleum materials. Similar tragedies have occurred historically across the region due to a lack of immediate perimeter security.

Utility workers are currently replacing overhead electrical wires that melted during the intense thermal blast, while environmental teams assess the soil contamination from the unburned fuel that escaped into local waterways.

The truck driver and turn-boy managed to escape the cabin with minor injuries before the blast occurred and are currently assisting investigators in determining the exact mechanical cause of the initial rollover.