Seven Killed, Eight Injured in Horrific Trailer-Matatu Crash on Eldoret-Nakuru Highway
The accident occurred at around 8:30 pm on Thursday at the Mlima Punda blackspot area, a stretch notorious for fatal crashes, police confirmed.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Seven people were killed and eight others seriously injured in a grisly road accident involving a trailer and two matatus along the busy Eldoret-Nakuru Highway in Ainabkoi Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County.
The accident occurred at around 8:30 pm on Thursday at the Mlima Punda blackspot area, a stretch notorious for fatal crashes, police confirmed.
According to preliminary police reports, the crash involved a Mercedes Actros trailer and two Toyota Hiace matatus, one of them operating as a Shuttle matatu. The trailer was travelling from Nakuru towards Eldoret when its driver allegedly attempted to overtake while descending a steep hill, veering into the opposite lane and into the path of the two oncoming matatus.
The trailer collided head-on with both matatus in a violent crash that left the driver of the Shuttle matatu and six of his passengers dead on the spot. Images from the scene showed the matatus completely mangled, with wreckage strewn across the road.
Eight other passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Burnt Forest Sub-County Hospital for emergency treatment. Their condition is said to be critical.
Police said the identities of the deceased and the injured had not been released by press time as efforts to trace and notify their families were still ongoing.
The bodies of the seven were later moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) mortuary in Eldoret town pending identification and post-mortem examinations, while the wreckage was towed to Tarakwa Police Station for inspection as traffic investigators continue probing the exact cause of the crash.
The Mlima Punda accident was among at least six accidents reported on Thursday alone across the country, leaving a total of 17 people dead, police said. According to the National Police Service report, the victims included eight passengers, four pedestrians, two pillion passengers, two riders and one driver. At least 27 others were seriously injured, including 14 passengers, 10 riders and two pillion passengers.
In a separate incident in Kisii County, two women were killed and a motorcycle rider seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash at Suneka Township along the Kisii-Migori Road.
Police said the crash occurred at about 3:50 pm on Thursday when an unidentified motor vehicle travelling in the same direction as a motorcycle allegedly rammed it from behind before fleeing the scene.
The motorcycle was carrying two pillion passengers identified as Eunice Magoma Mbaka, 35, and Josephine Binsari Nyamwaro, 40. The impact threw the passengers off the motorcycle, killing both women instantly, while the rider sustained serious injuries.
Officers who visited the scene said neither the rider nor the two passengers was wearing a helmet or reflective jacket at the time of the crash. The bodies were moved to Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, while police have launched a manhunt for the driver who fled.
Police have once again urged motorists to observe traffic rules, avoid dangerous overtaking and exercise caution especially at night.
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