•Kenya has also experienced tragedies that have led to the loss of tens of lives at once, while many were left nursing injuries in hospitals.
•The Mwingi bus tragedy that occurred at river Enziu is one of the most recent tragedies to have hit the country, where 31 lives were lost.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
For the better part of last year and this year, one of the biggest tragedies people have experienced from across the world is the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite this being the biggest and most common, Kenya has also experienced tragedies that have led to the loss of tens of lives at once, while many were left nursing injuries in hospitals.
Here is a look at some of the tragedies that shook the country in 2021;
Mwingi bus tragedy
The Mwingi bus tragedy that occurred at river Enziu is one of the most recent tragedies to have hit the country, where 33 lives were lost.
The tragedy occurred on December 4, after a seasonal river swept away a bus that was ferrying church members to a wedding ceremony.
Before the tragedy, the passengers, mostly choir members and relatives of the couple, had camped for three hours on the river bank, waiting for the water to subside.
Fifteen of the dead were members of the same family who were going to attend a wedding of an elderly couple aged over 70 years.
Twelve people were rescued after the bus capsized in river Enziu, Mwingi County, including four children and eight adults.
Siaya tanker explosion
In July 2021, a fuel tanker exploded in Gem, Siaya County, leading to the death of at least 19 people. From the number, 13 people died on the spot, while the other four died while receiving treatment.
The accident happened after a tanker which was ferrying petrol burst into flames in Malanga area, along the Kisumu- Busia road.
Bodies of the 13 people who died on the spot were burned beyond recognition.
Police said the fuel tanker rolled emptying its content by the roadside and the victims, oblivious of the lurking danger rushed to the accident scene to siphon fuel, when it burst into flames.
Twenty nine people, including children escaped with serious injuries from the fire incident.
Lake Victoria boat tragedy
In September, a boat capsized in Lake Victoria, leading to the death of 10 people.
The boat which was carrying 16 people overturned about 500 meters away from pier beach in Homa Bay town.
The boat was traveling from Homa Bay to Ndhuru beach in Suba South constituency which is about 12km away.
Two of those who died, a mother and a child were first to be found as eight other bodies were recovered later on during a search operation conducted by the Homa Bay county officials.
Only six people were rescued from the ill-fated boat and were rushed to the Homa Bay Referral Hospital for treatment.
Collapsed Siaya goldmine
At the beginning of December, a goldmine collapsed in Bondo, Siaya county.
The mine collapsed on December 2, when mine walls caved in, trapping eight people as two others escaped with injuries.
One body was retrieved December 4, while the other three came out alive on diverse dates.
Six people who had been trapped beneath the rubble had been rescued by December 14, while one still remained unaccounted for.
Murang’a collapsed building
On Friday, December 17, a four-storey building under construction collapsed in Gatanga, Murang’a county.
The building under construction when it collapsed prompted a rescue mission after several people working on the site were feared trapped inside the ruins.
Five bodies were retrieved from the collapsed building as one more person died while undergoing treatment, bringing total deaths to six.
This is just a highlight of some of the tragedies that have hit the country hard in the year 2021.
Edited by CM