At least three people have died after a vehicle loaded with gas cylinders exploded in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, setting off an inferno that burned homes and warehouses.

More than 200 people were injured in the blast, with the death toll expected to rise.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said a number of residents were likely inside their homes when the fire reached their houses late at night.

An explosion of a truck loaded with gas ignited the huge fireball, and a flying gas cylinder set off the fire that burned down the Oriental Godown, a garments and textiles warehouse, Mr Mwaura said.

Several other vehicles and businesses were damaged by the inferno that started at around 11.30pm (8.30pm GMT) on Thursday in the Mradi area in Embakasi, Nairobi.

At the scene after daybreak, several houses and shops were burnt-out. The vehicle believed to have started the explosion was on its side, and only the shell remained on the road.

The roof of a four-storey residential building about 600ft from the scene of the explosion was broken by a flying gas cylinder. Electric wires lay on the ground. Nothing remained in the burnt-out warehouse except shells of several trucks.

The Kenya Red Cross reported three deaths. The toll may rise after daybreak, Wesley Kimeto, the Embakasi police chief said.

The government said 222 people had been injured and rushed to hospital. The Kenya Red Cross later counted more than 270 injuries.