The death toll from a grisly road crash in western Kenya has soared to 52 police have confirmed as rescuers worked to clear the wreckage from one of the deadliest traffic accidents in the country in recent years.
Africa Today News, New York on Friday evening, a truck carrying a cargo container lost control and crashed into a number of other vehicles and onlookers swarming a key road crossroads, sending the country into shock and sadness.
‘The toll has risen to 52 after three more people succumbed to their injuries in hospital,’ local police commander Geoffrey Mayek told reporters.
The disaster occurred at Londiani junction on a busy highway between the lakeside town of Nakuru and Kericho, an area known for its lush tea plantations.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters during a visit to the site that new safety measures would be introduced after what he described as a ‘terrible’ and ‘painful’ tragedy.
‘Investigations have been launched to establish the cause of this accident but we urge drivers to be cautious and follow the rules,’ he said, adding that the truck was believed to have been bound for Rwanda.
Read Also: 12 Buses Ruined In French Protest As Macron Returns
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan said earlier that rescuers had resumed a search for victims believed trapped under the wreckage, but it was not known if the updated toll included bodies recovered from the site.
Hassan added that more than 30 people were injured when the truck rammed into private cars, mini buses, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis), and market stalls at Londiani junction.
Kenyan station Citizen TV said the truck driver had died, but this could not be immediately confirmed independently.
Footage from the scene which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York showed the mangled wreckage of multiple vehicles, doors torn off minibuses, and motorbikes crushed into chunks of twisted metal, as rescuers worked in the dark under pouring rain.
On Saturday, large crowds of onlookers were at the scene, where the overturned container was stuck in a ditch, and debris was strewn across a wide area, including car seats, piles of fruit, a damaged axel, and even a lone black boot.