7/1/2023 6:40 pm (act. 7/1/2023 6:50 pm)
At least 52 people died in a mass collision in Kenya on Friday, according to rescue workers. Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said another 32 people were injured when a truck skidded at a busy intersection on Friday night and collided with several other vehicles, tents and pedestrians. The accident happened in Kericho district, about 200 kilometers northwest of Nairobi.
The cause of the accident was initially unknown. The accident happened at a very busy intersection in the west of the country. Television footage from the crash site between the towns of Kericho and Nakuru showed the overturned truck and the wreckage of several minibuses.
Rift Valley Police Commander Tom Mboya Odero said the truck bound for Kericho lost control and hit eight other vehicles, several motorcycles and people on the side of the road. Transport Minister Murkomen spoke of a “terrible” accident and announced that security measures at the Londiani crossing in the west of the country would be tightened. Among other things, dealers should be banned from the roads to avoid such accidents in the future. Long-distance drivers should also take regular breaks.
Eyewitness Maureen Jepkoech reported that the truck was moving at high speed and honked its horn. The driver tried to avoid other vehicles and then drove into the middle of a market. She is lucky to be alive “because I ran away”, the woman said. According to the Kenya Red Cross, rescue work was hampered by heavy rains.
Serious traffic accidents are not uncommon in Africa. At least 24 people were killed in Zambia just a month ago when a bus hit a truck. According to the national transport authority, 4,690 people died in traffic accidents in the East African country last year.