A middle-aged mechanic has died instantly in Mwingi Town, Kitui County, after a tyre rim reportedly exploded while he was inflating a repaired tyre, sending the heavy metal component crashing into him.
The tragic incident occurred near Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where the man was reportedly carrying out his routine tyre repair work when the accident happened.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to Channel 15 News said the mechanic had been repairing a punctured tyre and was inflating it after fixing the inner tube when the tyre assembly suddenly burst.
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The force of the explosion reportedly sent the rim flying into the mechanic, throwing him several metres away. He sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
Confirming the incident, Mwingi Central Assistant Chief Sammy Mulyungi said police officers visited the scene and processed it before the deceased’s body was moved to Mwingi Level 4 Hospital mortuary.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, although preliminary accounts point to a tyre-related workplace accident.
The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the potential dangers associated with tyre repair and inflation, particularly when handling pressurised tyres and heavy-duty rims.
Further details, including the deceased’s identity and the exact circumstances that led to the explosion, were not immediately available.
