Police say at least 48 people have died

AFP, Posted on Friday, June 30, 2023 at 11:19 pm.

At least 48 people were killed in a road accident at a busy junction in western Kenya on Friday night, local police said.

“At this stage we can confirm that 48 people have died,” police commander Geoffrey Mayek told AFP after the collision on the highway between Kericho and Nakuru.

He informed that 30 injured persons have been admitted to nearby hospitals.

“We estimate that a truck on its way to Kericho lost control and rammed into matus (local minibuses, editor’s note) assembled at the bus stop, passing through these matus and injuring passengers and pedestrians at the bus stop,” the policeman said.

Collins Kipkoch, a senior doctor at Kericho County Hospital, said he had received 45 bodies while other victims were received by other facilities. And rescue work is going on,” he added.

Several local television stations showed images of displaced vehicles.

“The truck was going full speed and honking its horn,” said Maureen Jepkoch, who witnessed the crash. “He tried to avoid several vehicles before finding himself in the middle of the market”.

“I heard people saying the vehicle lost its brakes. But I don’t know if that’s the case,” he added.

“The crash happened in a split second,” said another witness, Joel Rotich. “Many don’t have time to flee”.

“There was a great chaos: people ran screaming,” he said.

Traffic accidents are common in Africa. In January, 20 people were killed when a bus and a truck collided in Senegal.