Truck driver kills 52 when he ploughs into eight vehicles, several motorcycles and roadside shoppers and vendors in horrifying Kenya crash
- A truck carrying a shipping container veered out of control on Friday evening
- Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said event was ‘terrible and painful’
- President William Ruto expressed his condolences following news of fatalities
One of Kenya’s deadliest crashes in recent years, involving a truck ploughing into multiple vehicles and pedestrians, has so far claimed the lives of 52 people, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
Rescuers are continuing to clear the wreckage after a truck carrying a shipping container veered out of control and ploughed into several other vehicles and people thronging a busy road junction on Friday evening, plunging the nation into shock and mourning.
‘The toll has risen to 52 after three more people succumbed to their injuries in hospital,’ local police commander Geoffrey Mayek told AFP.
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 the truck was believed to have been bound for Rwanda.
Relatives of victims of the crash – which has so far claimed the lives of 52 people – gathered on Saturday in Londiani, Kericho in Kenya
The mangled remains of a car involved in the fatal crash, which occurred on Friday night
Several vehicles, including this small people carrier, were caught up in the fatal crash in Kenya
This car was entirely obliterated following the crash in the bustling Londiani area of Kericho
Relatives mourn the loss of loved ones after the tragedy, which happened at a busy junction
Another relative breaks down at news that her loved one has died in the multiple-vehicle crash
Kenya’s Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen visits the scene of the horrific crash
The Transport Minister comforted relatives at Londiani Sub-County Hospital on Saturday
Wreckage remains at the site where a truck rammed into at least eight vehicles and motorcylces
On Saturday, large crowds of onlookers visited the scene with debris strewn across a wide area
People who gathered at the scene also saw the overturned container entrenched within a ditch
People search through the aftermath in Londiani Junction along the Kericho-Nakuru highway in Kericho County, Kenya’s Rift Valley region
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan said 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, minibuses, 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 late Friday 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 visited the scene where the overturned container was stuck in a ditch, debris was strewn across a wide area, including car seats, piles of fruit, a damaged axel and even a lone black boot.
Victim David Mwangi lies in a hospital bed following the horrendous crash on Friday evening
Mary Chepkoech was also at the scene when a lorry collided with multiple vehicles, killing 52
Margaret Chepikirui had her leg amputated and endured a fractured hand and facial injuries
A relative mourns in the aftermath of one of the deadliest road crashes to occur in Kenya
‘The accident happened in a flash, many of them had no time to escape,’ said one witness, Joel Rotich.
‘There was a lot of confusion because people were screaming all over and everyone was running after the accident.’
Kenyan leaders including President William Ruto expressed their condolences after the accident and Londiani was trending on social media, with many people posting sombre pictures of a candle next to the word Londiani on Twitter.
‘The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones,’ Ruto said on his official Twitter page on Friday.
Murkomen said the Government planned to arrange for street traders to move from roadside areas to designated markets in a bid to avoid such catastrophes in future.
He also called for increased safety measures at the site of the accident, such as speed bumps and for long-distance truck drivers to ensure they have proper rest breaks and also take refresher courses.
According to figures from Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority, at least 21,760 people were involved in road accidents last year, including 4,690 who died.
Recovery teams arrive at the scene on Friday evening within hours of the horrendous crash
A motorcycle lies on its side having been impacted by the crash, which has claimed 52 lives
An investigation is underway into the causes of the crash at one of Kericho’s busiest junctions
People stand near the wreckage of the fatal crash, which has plunged the nation into mourning
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen has described the crash as a ‘painful’ tragedy
Kenyan leaders including President William Ruto expressed their condolences after the crash
Minister Murkomen called for increased safety measures at the site, including speed bumps
Last July, at least 34 people perished when a bus plunged into a river at a notorious blackspot in central Kenya, while a bus crash in October 2018 in Kericho county claimed the lives of 50 people.
In a speech in December, Murkomen blamed human error for much of the carnage on the roads, including drunk driving, speeding, fatigue and dangerous overtaking.
The World Health Organization said in September last year that Africa has the highest road traffic fatality rate in the world, with more than 800 people killed every day.
According to figures from Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority, at least 21,760 people were involved in road accidents last year, including 4,690 who died
Hundreds gathered on Saturday at the scene as Murkomen called for long-distance truck drivers to ensure they have proper rest breaks and also take refresher courses
A Kenya Red Cross worker stands at the scene of the tragic accident , as hundreds gather there
Police officers secure the scene of an accident where a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles
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