Story highlights At least 39 people died in a fuel tanker crash

The tanker was traveling from Nairobi to Naivasha

(CNN) A fiery truck crash in Kenya on Saturday killed at least 39 people and injured many others, according to officials.

Around 11:30 p.m. local time, a truck driver heading from Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city, to Naivasha lost control going downhill, officials said.

The truck rammed into more than a dozen vehicles, according to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, and exploded. Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said Sunday the tanker carried highly flammable materials.

"This is a national tragedy," Nkaissery said in a press conference Sunday morning.

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Mwachi added that authorities have extended search and rescue operations to the surrounding area to make sure no one wandered off into the nearby bushes during the evacuation.

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