1 killed in Kenya blast, over 30 injured

One person died and more than 30 others were injured in the Kenyan capital on Sunday when an explosion in a hardware shop sparked a blaze at a neighbouring petrol station, police said.

Local television quoted police saying one person died from injuries sustained in the midday explosion at a busy street in downtown Nairobi where shanty garages and blocks of flats and shops stand side by side.

The cause of the blast, which injured about 35 people according to the police, was not immediately clear.

"We suspect an explosion inside a hardware shop adjacent to a petrol station, setting the pumps on fire. The fire has now been brought under control," Charles Owino, deputy police spokesman told Reuters by telephone.

Television footage showed widespread destruction at the scene with crowds rummaging through debris. Owino said they were still compiling details of injuries.

The east African nation has suffered bombings in the past, the most recent being a bomb on a Kampala-bound bus, that killed two people in December.