17 hospitalised after water tank collapsed at county stadium

More than 17 people are nursing injuries at Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital after an overhead water tank collapsed on their stalls.

The 21,000-liter water tank collapsed on Thursday afternoon at Homa Bay County Stadium next to Sofia market where business operations had started taking place.

The injured persons include five men, 11 females, and a three-month-old baby.

One had serious injuries and had to be taken for an X-ray to enable medics to ascertain the type of injuries he had.

The hospital chief executive officer Peter Ogola said the patient complained of chest pain and difficulties in breathing.

The tank is a water reservoir for the construction of the stadium.

The work is still ongoing at the stadium and the tank was part of the construction project.

Eyewitnesses said they heard sounds of crumbling metal bars used for supporting the tank before all the water was splashed to the ground.

“We heard a crumbling sound before the tank collapsed and destroyed structures near the wall fence. Many people still don’t understand how the tank collapsed,” a witness said.    

Some of the injured people Aziza Akinyi, Jane Achieng, Sharon Awuor, Moses Otieno, and David Otieno said they were shocked by the incident.

Akinyi who is a shopkeeper at Sofia market said she can only recall water sweeping away the walls of her shop.

She said all her goods were swept away.

“The water splash threw me down. I sustained injuries on the knees as water flooded my shop,” Akinyi said.

Achieng who operates a food kiosk also recalls hearing a loud bang.

 “I did not know what was happening outside. I only saw water getting into the kiosk before I rushed ousted to seek help," she said.

David sustained injuries on the left eyelid, ankle, and thigh. They were slashed by a metal.

Ogola said a majority of the affected people sustained minor injuries as others got a fright.

He said some of the injuries were from water pressure while other people were cut by metal as they were running for their lives.

“Most of the injuries are minor. They were cut wounds on the face and limbs. We’re monitoring some of them as treatments take place before we leave them to go home,” Ogola said.