Mombasa, KENYA: Makupa causeway that had been blocked after a cargo train carrying super petrol derailed on Sunday has been re-opened and now fully operational.
The accident directly affected transport along the causeway, causing delays both to local destination travelers and those accessing the SGR Miritin terminus and Moi International Airport.
Earlier, a section of the causeway had been re-opened in order to ease traffic, while those heading to the airport were given access to gate 18 at the Kenya Ports Authority.
The derailed train was carrying 250,000 litres of super petrol in the five containers.Maritime Principal Secretary Nancy Karigithu said the leakage was about 3,000 litres, which was contained with foam and coolant.
Speaking to Baraka FM on Monday, Mr. Ayub Ali Gitonga, Police officer in charge of Railway and Ports department, maintained that the reason the road was closed earlier was for the safety of the public since Super Petrol is highly flammable.
“We closed the roads to prevent any chances of fire outbreak since Super Petrol is highly flammable and could cause massive damage and loss in cases of fire,” explained officer Ayub Ali.
Mr. Ayub also added that no petrol spilled into the ocean nor did any container fall into the ocean.
He has advised the general public to shun from passing wrong information while at the same time thanking the public for cooperation, the fire brigade department for being stand by, Moi International airport, the Kenya Ports Authority and well wishers who provided their buses for transport.
“We have emptied all the containers for now and everything is safe. The petrol only spilled on the grass and no container fell into the ocean. It’s important for people to wait for correct information from those in charge and avoid sharing wrong information,” Mr. Ayub advised.
Mr. Ayub stated that the cause of derailing can only be ascertained after engineers finish looking into the accident.
