One person has been confirmed dead following a multi-vehicle accident that happened along the Embu-Nairobi highway. The crash occurred on the night of Wednesday, January 16, near the Sewage area along the busy route and involved two lorries and a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) bus belonging to Tahmeed company.
Eyewitnesses reported that one of the lorries was carrying maize, while the other was transporting firewood.
Preliminary investigations suggest that one of the lorries, traveling towards Nairobi, experienced brake failure and collided with the other lorry.
At the time of the crash, the second lorry was being inspected by Embu County enforcement officers, who had set up a roadblock.
The Tahmeed bus, following the initial collision, then crashed into one of the lorries.
Photos from scene seen by The Kenya Times show that the bus partially penetrated the lorry on its left front side, highlighting the severity of the impact. The bus also sustained a shattered windscreen.
Police and residents spent over an hour cutting through the mangled wreckage of the two lorries to rescue victims following the collision.
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Accident involving Tahmeed bus and two lorries
Both lorry drivers had been trapped in their cabins, prompting Police and residents to use a breakdown truck to separate the wreckage.
Nancy Njeri, one of the first eyewitnesses to arrive at the scene, recounted hearing a loud bang before rushing to investigate.
“The two lorries spilt their loads of firewood and maize sacks, making it extremely difficult to access the trapped victims,” she said.
Kirimari Ward rescue team coordinator Francis Ndirangu while commending residents for their swift response and assistance said that the passengers in the bus were fortunate to escape without injuries.
Ndirangu also highlighted that the accident caused a traffic snarl-up extending three kilometers on both sides of the highway.
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The wreckage has since been towed to the Embu Police Station for inspection as investigations into the accident continue.
The crash is notably among road accidents which have been reported this year that have left behind casualties and fatalities.
Last week, eight people were confirmed dead in two separate accidents that occurred within a 12-hour period.
Road accidents this year
The first accident involving a school bus and a PSV matatu happened on Friday, January 10 night along the Kapsabet – Eldoret highway.
The crash occurred at around 8:00 pm at Mutwot area when the matatu which was being driven from Kapsabet direction towards Eldoret veered from its lane before colliding with a school bus belonging to Cheptabach Secondary School.
As a result, the matatu driver, two passengers and a child died on the spot. An unknown number of passengers in both vehicles were rushed to different hospitals in the region where one other passenger succumbed.
In the second accident, three people died after a PSV bus they were travelling in crashed along the Londiani-Kisumu highway.
A Police report seen by The Kenya Times indicated that several other passengers were injured in the Saturday morning accident involving the Dreamline bus which was heading towards Kisumu from the Londiani direction.
It was reported that the accident happened at around 04:20 am when the driver of the bus ferrying 44 passengers from Mombasa to Busia lost control of the vehicle.
According to preliminary reports, the bus driver lost control while negotiating a sharp bend, causing the vehicle to crash and land on its left side.
Tragically, three people lost their lives at the scene-two adults and one child-who were confirmed dead on the spot.
The rest of the passengers were left with serious injuries and promptly rushed to Londiani Sub- County hospital where they are receiving treatment.
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