Two children died and three others were injured in an explosion at a field in Mandera East, Mandera County.
Confirming the incident, Deputy County Commissioner David Mbevi said the five children, aged between 13 and 15, were playing when they found the device at Hareri Hosle Center, Mandera East.
Mbevi said the five children were playing with the grenade which exploded as a result, killing one of them on the spot.
The other child died on arrival at Mandera County Referral Hospital and three other children sustained serious injuries, he said.
“We suspected the device is a grenade dropped by unknown persons within that village and these children picked it and started playing with it before it exploded.”
“One of the kid playing with the grenade died on the spot when it exploded while the other died while being attended to and the three others were injured by the spread of pellets as they were just nearby,” Mbevi said.
The deputy county commissioner said investigations have been launched into the incident and the nature of the explosion.
“We have bomb experts at the scene trying to establish the type of explosive that has caused all this but it is of a bomb family,” he said.
Mbevi appealed to parents to keep a close eye on their children and to teach them on how to handle unfamiliar objects they find while playing.
Those injured were rushed to the hospital by military officers from Omar Jillo camp and have been admitted at Mandera County Referral Hospital.