48 persons are confirmed dead following a truck collision on a Kenyan highway. Several vehicles and pedestrians were hit by a truck that swerved off the road at a busy intersection, killing at least 48 people in western Kenya.
Local broadcasters’ footage of the accident’s aftermath showed minibuses and trucks with damage alongside mangled wreckages of cars and motorcycles.
Geoffrey Mayek, the local police commander, stated following the accident on Friday night, “So far, we can confirm 48 dead and we are suspecting one or two are still trapped under the truck.”
‘Thirty people have been seriously injured and rushed to various hospitals. The numbers could be more but as of now we are sure about 30.’
The accident took place on the highway between the towns of Kericho and Nakuru near Londiani, west Kenya.
Heavy rains are hindering rescue operations, according to local media reports.
‘I saw a speeding oncoming trailer. I swerved and escaped hitting him head-on. The person who was behind me thought I wanted to buy something. He overtook me and that is when he was hit. The trailer went off the road and hit other vehicles,’ said Peter Otieno, a driver.
‘I saw about 20 bodies with my own eyes. There were other bodies that were under the vehicle.’
The Kenya Red Cross said the lorry rammed more than six vehicles and ran over pedestrians. More than 20 casualties were taken to local hospitals, the Red Cross said.
‘The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani,” Kenyan President William Ruto wrote in a tweet.
‘It is distressing that some of the fatalities are young people with a promising future and business people who were on their daily chores.’
The accident is one of the most deadly on Kenya’s roads in recent years. Last year 34 people died in central Kenya when their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river valley.
‘My heart is crushed,’ Kericho governor Erick Mutai said on Facebook. ‘It is a dark moment for the people of Kericho. My heart goes out to the families who have just lost their loved ones.’