Five people were burnt to death as they siphoned petrol from an overturned tanker near Sio Bridge along the Busia- Kisumu road.
Over 40 others are admitted to various hospitals in Western Province with serious burns.
The incident happened barely 10 days after the Nairobi’s Sinai fire disaster that claimed over 100 lives.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that three others succumbed to their burns at the Busia district hospital where they were undergoing treatment.
Survivors said the tanker burst into flames after one of the villagers tried to steal the battery of the tanker causing it to spark, starting the fire.
The tanker was heading to Busia from Kisumu when the driver lost control and plunged into a mushy bank of River Sio at around 7.45pm Tuesday evening.
After the accident villagers rushed to the scene to siphon fuel.
Police, led by area OCPD Erastus Muthamia arrived at the scene and rushed survivors to Busia District Hospital and Alupe Sub-District Hospital.
Residents say the number of the dead could be more since most of those scooping fuel dived into the river when the tanker exploded and could have been washed away.
Relatives on Wednesday morning thronged the district hospitals to know the fate of their loved ones.
Amagoro legislator Sospeter Ojamong who visited the survivors in hospital, said the locals had earlier defied police orders to leave the scene of the accident just minutes before the explosion.
Ojamong called on the government to find an alternative parking space for the fuel tankers to avert related calamities in the future.
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