Boy dies after motorcycle falls on him at church in Meru

A three-year-old boy died after being trapped by a parked motorcycle at a church compound in Buuri, Meru County.

Police said the boy had accompanied his mother to the church to enable her to do cleaning services she is employed to.

According to the police, the woman had gone to the nearby church compound with her now deceased son for work when the incident happened on Tuesday.

The woman said she left the child with a church caretaker to take care of him as she embarked on her work.

The caretaker also left the boy to wander within the compound unattended.

It was then that he spotted a parked motorcycle and, out of curiosity, tried to climb there for a mock ride.

Police said he was alone then. The motorcycle tipped off and trapped the boy fatally. It was heavy for the boy as it had fuel in it, police said.

As the mother went on with her duties, a church member who had come for prayers alerted her to the motorcycle that had tipped and was leaking fuel.

She wanted her to help in raising it and clean the floor.

It was then that they realised the boy was trapped under the motorcycle and was unresponsive.

He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body was kept at the mortuary pending an autopsy.

Police termed the incident an accident, adding they were investigating the same.

In Marimanti, Tharaka Nithi County, a four-year-old boy was fatally injured at a home by a lorry in a tragedy, police said.

The driver of the lorry said he was reversing to load hay for use when the minor unexpectedly emerged from the house and was overrun.

He died on the spot, police said of the Tuesday incident.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other procedures.

Meanwhile, a police officer succumbed to his injuries following an accident in Koru, Kisumu County.

The cop had been involved in an accident in the area on September 29 before he succumbed to the injuries the following day.

Fatal accidents have been on the rise amid efforts to address the trend.

More than 4,000 people are killed annually in Kenya in road accidents, officials say, adding thousands of others are left with serious injuries, which burdens families.