Six people died while seven others escaped with injuries in an accident at Kwaabudu area on the Mombasa-Malindi highway. A Canter, which was heading to Mombasa from Malindi, collided head on with a matatu coming from the opposite direction on Sunday night.
Five people including one woman died at the scene while the sixth was pronounced dead on arrival at the Malindi District Hospital. Three of the survivors, including one woman, were transferred to a Mombasa hospital in critical condition while the others remained at Malindi and Tawfiq hospitals.
The woman’s right leg had completely been chopped off and thrown about 30 metres away and other victims, including the matatu conductor suffered multiple injuries in the head and body.
Witnesses said the matatu was trying to overtake another vehicle in the 7.30 pm incident. Others said the driver of the Canter was driving recklessly and was trying to avoid another vehicle in front of him, when he crashed into the matatu.
“There was a loud bang followed by cloud of smoke. We responded quickly and rescued the survivors,’’ Mbarak Omar, a witness said. Hundreds of curious onlookers had jammed the scene of the accident, about 15km from Malindi town.
Four badly mutilated bodies of the victims were scattered beside the road. The accident scene is barely 500m from another one where an Administration Police vehicle collided with a bus early last year.
Kenya Red Cross Society's staff and well-wishers helped the survivors to reach the hospital quickly. The bodies were taken to Malindi District Hospital mortuary and the wreckage of the vehicles were towed to Malindi police station.
Malindi traffic boss Bernard Imbaya confirmed the accident and told motorists to be cautious while driving along the black spots. Malindi MP Dan Kazungu, his Magarini counterpart Harrison Kombe, Malindi subcounty manager Daniel Chome arrived at the scene.
Kazungu said he will push to ensure bumps are erected on the black spots. On January 4 this year, four people died after a bus owned by Najaah Company from Lamu hit a pothole at Kadzuhoni on the Lamu-Malindi road.