Five perish as three vehicles crash on foggy highway

Five passengers died on the spot Thursday after their Toyota Hiace van collided head-on with a lorry at Njira ya Gitithia area in Lari along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Six passengers, including a student, sustained serious injuries and were admitted to Kijabe Mission Hospital.

The 6am accident occurred when the lorry heading to Nairobi was overtaking a matatu van.

It was dark and the road was shrouded in fog.  

Lari subcounty police commander Stephen Kirui said the five passengers who perished included three men and two women.

It caused a huge traffic jam.

Witnesses said the lorry driver tried to control his vehicle when he noticed another van heading towards Nakuru, but it was too late.

“The lorry hit the van from behind, and the driver could not return to his lane and the lorry collided head on with the oncoming van. The lorry rolled outside the road and landed in a ditch,” witness Peter Mbugua said.

He said the lorry was heading to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to deliver flowers for export.

Police had a difficult time controlling vehicles that had started overlapping despite the foggy weather.

Kirui urged motorists to be especially careful while using the highway from Soko Mjinga to past Limuru area, since it was covered by fog this season.

He urged them to drive with their headlights on so other drivers can see them and avoid overtaking as much as possible.

(Edited by V. Graham)