At least 48 people have died and thirty people are seriously injured after a truck lost control at a busy junction in western Kenya, ramming more than six vehicles and running over pedestrians.
Wreckage of vehicles after an accident where at least 48 people were killed on June 30, 2023 after a truck rammed into several vehicles and market traders in western Kenya, near the Rift Valley town of Londiani. Picture: The Associated Press
Local police have confirmed the death toll stands at 48 and believe one or two people are still trapped under the truck after the accident on the highway between the towns of Kericho and Nakuru last night (30 June).
‘Thirty people have been seriously injured and rushed to various hospitals. The numbers could be more but, as of now, we are sure about 30,’ local police commander Geoffrey Mayek told Aljazeera.
The local media has reported torrential rain has delayed rescue efforts. ‘We are suspecting a truck that was being driven towards Kericho lost control and rammed into matatus [local minibuses] that were packed at a bus stop, running over those matatus and injuring passengers and pedestrians who were standing by the bus stop,’ Mayek said.
Peter Otieno, a driver who witnessed the accident, said, ‘I saw a speeding oncoming trailer. I swerved and escaped hitting him head-on. The person who was behind me thought I wanted to buy something. He overtook me, and that is when he was hit. The trailer went off the road and hit other vehicles.
‘I saw about 20 bodies with my own eyes. There were other bodies that were under the vehicle.’
The number of deaths caused by this accident makes it one of the most fatal on Kenya’s roads. Thirty-four people died in central Kenya last year when their bus careered off a bridge and into a river valley, and government statistics reveal the number of people killed on Kenya’s roads has increased in recent years.
Kenyan President William Ruto wrote on Twitter:
The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani, Kericho County. It is distressing that some of the fatalities are young people with a promising future and business people who were on their daily chores.
We pray for the…
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) June 30, 2023
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