Five people were Monday killed when a train collided with a lorry that was crossing a railway line in Ruiru, Kiambu county.
Police and witnesses said the lorry, which was transporting construction workers, was attempting to cross the railway line but underestimated the speed and distance of an oncoming train.
The workers were working at a Chinese managed construction site and were being ferried home when the accident happened.
They were all aged below 30 years, police said.
Five of the lorry's passengers attempted to jump out of the vehicle, but were knocked down by the train, some of the survivors said.
Kiambu county police commander Muchangi Kioi said five died on the spot while 12 others were injured and are receiving treatment in hospitals.
The truck’s cabin and the rest of its body was completely mangled, images taken at the scene showed.
The number of people in the lorry at the time of the accident was not immediately established. Police plan to interrogate the driver of the lorry after he is discharged from hospital.
Kenya Railways said the freight train was carrying empty saddles when the accident happened.
“This evening while on its return from Ruiru, one of our freight trains carrying empty saddles hit a lorry which got stuck while trying to cross the rail track at an illegal level crossing,” the agency said in a statement on Twitter.
The management said owing to the line blockage, passengers on the Ruiru train disembarked at Kahawa and used alternative means to their destinations.
“We urge the public to use the designated railway level crossing,” it said.
The accident has increased to more than 20 the number of people killed in the past few weeks.
Accidents were reported in different places in the country, including the Bomet-Narok highway, where seven were killed in a collision between a truck and a public service vehicle.
Another 11 died on Saturday after a 14-seater matatu rolled several times after veering off the road.
Edited by A.N
