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Monday, 02 February 2009

110 Kenyans qualify for the 2009 Darwin Awards

The Darwin Awards are presented to individuals who, through their own stupidity, improve the gene pool of the human race by dying while doing something extremely silly, thereby preventing their clearly defective genes being passed on to another generation.

In what is probably some kind of record for both the Darwin Awards and group stupidity, at least 111 people died while attempting to scoop up fuel that was leaking from an overturned tanker near the town of Molo in Kenya. Scores of others were injured in the incident.

It somehow didn't occur to those killed and injured that a) they were dealing with a flammable substance leaking from the tanker, b) that most of them do not possess motorized vehicles of any nature and c) that overturned tankers often catch fire. I don't even want to consider the possibility that some moron dropped a lit cigarette thereby precipitating the blaze. That would really be mind-bogglingly dumb.

The tragedy may not be over yet. Presumably, many of those that did manage to survive the incident, are going to use the fuel they stole to do – what? Light fires in their homes, thereby setting fire to their shacks and in so doing perhaps kill themselves as well as a few random family members?

News reports are calling this an accident, but I disagree. The tanker overturning was an accident. The other deaths may be due to a different cause.

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