Kenya: At least 48 people were killed in western Kenya when a truck lost control and collided with other vehicles and pedestrians at a junction on Friday night. Several people have sustained injuries and have been taken to hospitals for treatment.
The Kenyan Red Cross, which dispatched ambulances to the accident scene, stated that rescue operations were being hindered by heavy rains.
Geoffrey Mayek, the local police commander, confirmed the death toll of 48 people in the incident. “So far, we can confirm 48 deaths, and we suspect that one or two individuals are still trapped under the truck,” Mayek told AFP. The accident occurred on the highway between the towns of Kericho and Nakuru.
Tom Mboya Odero, the regional police commander for the Rift Valley, stated that the truck, traveling towards Kericho, lost control and collided with multiple vehicles, pedestrians, and local vendors.
Following the accident at Londiani junction around 6:30 pm (1530 GMT), President William Ruto expressed his condolences. Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen tweeted that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the crash.
Eyewitnesses reported that the truck was travelling at high speed. “The truck was on high speed and was honking. It attempted to avoid several vehicles before crashing directly into the market,” said Maureen Jepkoech, an eyewitness quoted by NDTV.
“All I can say is that I am lucky to be alive because I saw what happened and I am alive because I ran, I am just lucky,” she added.
Kericho County Governor Erick Mutai expressed his condolences on his official Facebook account upon learning about the accident, describing it as a “dark moment for the people of Kericho.”
“My heart goes out to the families who have just lost their loved ones,” he wrote, adding that all health facilities were on standby.
According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, road accidents last year involved a minimum of 21,760 individuals, resulting in 4,690 fatalities.
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