•Two matatus rammed the rear of a trailer stalled for two days on the road.
• Some passengers were stranded in wreckage for an hour, contributing to their deaths.
Image: GEORGE MURAGE
Seven people lost their lives on Thursday morning in an accident involving three vehicles.
The victims included a two-year-old girl and a teenage girl.
The seven,who included one woman and the two minors, died near Gilgil town after two matatus crashed into a stalled trailer along the busy highway.
Ten people were fighting for their lives in different hospitals after the 5am accident that was blamed on speeding and poor visibility.
Emotions ran high at Gilgil police station as friends and relatives converged to view the wreckage of the matatus from Molo Line and Nairobi Bus companies.
Four of the victims died on spot while the other three were pronounced dead on arrival at hospitals where they had been rushed for treatment.
The accident occurred after the two matatus that were heading to Nairobi from Nakuru rammed into the rear of the stalled trailer.
A witness, Sam Kuria, said that the trailer had stalled on the road for over two days and posed a major threat to other motorists.
He said that one of the matatus was speeding when it hit the rear of the car and veered off the road.
“The accident caught by surprise the driver of the other matatu who was close by and as he tried to evade the wrecks, he ended up hitting the trailer from the other side,” he said.
Mwangi added that among those who died on the spot were one of the matatu drivers while the occupants of the stalled lorry escaped unscathed.
“Some of the passengers were stranded in the wreckage for over an hour and this contributed to their death,” he said.
Nakuru county commander Peter Mwanzo said the trailer had stalled on the climbing lane, blocking part of the busy road.
He said one of the matatus that was driving uphill rammed into the rear of the trailer before another that was behind it followed suit.
"The two matatus that were fully packed and following each other closely rammed into the rear of the stalled trailer killing the seven," he said.
Among those who died from the two matatus were four male adults, a woman, a teenage girl and a two year girl.
"Scores of others were seriously injured and have been taken to different hospitals while the wrecks have been towed to Gilgil police station," he said.
He blamed speeding and poor visibility for the accident that caused a major traffic snarl-up before police moved in to two away the wrecks.
(Edited by V. Graham)