Two men died on Monday after inhaling poison gas while digging a new latrine next to an old one. A third man is fighting for his life.
The three men had been hired to dig a latrine in Kamere Estate when they collapsed from inhaling gas emitted from the old latrine, one after the other before rescuers could arrive.
Witness Peter Mwai said one man collapsed, the two tried to save him and they also collapsed. Members of the public had to intervene.
The three men, former flower farm workers, were pulled out and rushed to a health centre where two men were confirmed dead.
The other man was admitted to Naivasha Subcounty Hospital.
“The three had been hired to dig out a latrine but they collapsed due to inadequate fresh air before they could be rescued," Mwai said.
Naivasha police boss Samuel Waweru said the the bodies had been collected and inquest files opened.
“Their families have been informed and we are awaiting a post mortem to determine the exact cause of death," Waweru said.
Following the midday incident, the estate was paralysed as police cordoned off the scene.
Meanwhile, transport along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road was blocked after a four-year-old boy was hit and killed by a speeding car.
Witness Paul Kimani said the minor was crossing the road to join his friends when he was struck by the private car heading to Narok.
“The car was moving at very high speed and the minor died on the spot while the car's occupants escaped unscathed,” he said.
For more than an hour, residents and relatives blocked the road in protest before police moved in and collected the body.
(Edited by V. Graham)
