At least seven people were killed on Friday evening while 11
others were injured in a grisly road accident at Kijauri junction along the
Kisii–Sotik highway.
Those injured include three critical cases at a local
hospital.
The accident increased to 14, the number of those killed in
separate accidents on Friday alone, police said. More than 15 others were injured in the
accidents, officials said.
The Kijauri crash involved a trailer loaded with logs that
reportedly lost control and rammed into matatus that were parked by the
roadside picking up passengers.
The scene of the accident is usually busy with road users
who stop to buy food.
According to witnesses, the trailer was speeding and honking moments before the fatal impact.
“I saw the trailer coming at high speed while hooting, then
it hit the matatus and landed in a ditch. Some passengers died instantly, while
others were screaming in pain,” recounted one witness.
Joshua Nyaemo, a clinical officer at Summit Medical Care in
Nyansiongo, confirmed they received eleven victims from the accident, with
three in critical condition and one declared dead on arrival.
Others sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment,
he said.
“Those injured were referred to Kisii Teaching and Referral
Hospital, Nyamira Level Five Hospital, and Kaplong for further treatment,” said
Nyaemo.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Kisii Teaching
and Referral Hospital mortuary.
Along Mombasa Highway in Mackinon area, Kwale County, a
driver and his passenger were killed after their new car was involved in an
accident. Police said a third person was injured in the 2 am accident.
In Meru, a 15-year-old boy died in a hit-and-run incident
along Meru-Mitunguu Road.
Along the Narok-Mai Mahiu road, a speeding lorry hit and
killed three female passengers who had alighted from a bus in Duka Moja area on
Friday at about 2 am.
The bus had been involved in a non-injury accident, and the
driver stopped on the roadside to sort out the issue with another car.
The passengers on board alighted and stood across the road
as others went for short calls.
It was then that the speeding car emerged at high speed, and
the driver tried to avoid ramming into the bus and lorry, which were partially
on the roadside.
He hit the three women, killing them on the spot. The driver
drove to the Ntulele police station, saying he feared he would be beaten up.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary. Fatal accidents are
on the rise amid efforts to address the menace.
Up to 4,000 people die annually from accidents. Thousands of
others are nursing wounds from the accidents, which have a substantial negative
impact on families.
