It has now emerged that six family members died in the accident that occurred at Salama along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway on Monday night, April 1.
The six were among the 10 people who died in the crash that involved five vehicles: two public service vehicles, two lorries and a saloon car.
According to the family members, the six were headed to Nakuru from Mombasa after a family trip.
“They are all immediate family members and we have lost six plus one family friend making it seven,” Anne Njenga, a family member, said.
The family had travelled from Nakuru on Thursday, March 28, for a family gathering in Mombasa over the Easter holiday.
They were travelling in three different vehicles and the six were among 14 others who had boarded a matatu that was involved in the Salama accident.
Njenga said the accident left seven other family members injured and admitted in different hospitals.
“The ones in Nakuru currently they are three, those ones are in stable condition. We left four in Makindu those ones are a bit unstable and in critical condition,” she said.
Police Statement
According to police reports, the vehicles involved included an 18-seater matatu belonging to The Spanish shuttle, two trucks, a saloon car, and a Naekana Sacco-registered 14-seater matatu.
Mukaa Sub-County Police Commander Barnabas Ng’eno said one of the truck drivers failed to observe its lane and resulting in a head on coalition.
Ng’eno explained that the truck was heading towards Mombasa from Nairobi when it collided with The Spanish Shuttle.
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“The driver failed to keep to his proper lane and also made a sudden right turn without due care and attention resulting in a head-on collision with another vehicle,” Ng’eno stated.
This led to a series of collisions involving the three other vehicles leading to the death of passengers in different vehicles and disruption along the busy road.
Survivors were rushed to the Sultan Hamud Hospital and Makindu Hospital while the deceased were taken to Sultan Hamud Hospital Morgue.
Also Read: ACCIDENT ALERT: Moi University Bus Crashes on Major Highway
Chavakali Student Dies in an Accident Involving Easy Coach Bus
Besides, one student died, and 33 other passengers sustained injuries in an accident involving an Easy Coach bus along the Kisumu-Kakamega Highway in Kisumu County on the same night.
The bus was headed to Nairobi carrying passengers including students from Chavakali High School after the closure of schools for the first term.
The injured were rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu for treatment.
