Seventeen people were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Kilome, along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway early Saturday morning.
The crash involved a 14-seater matatu, two lorries and several other vehicles, according to police and Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Stephen Mwangangi.
According to police at Salama Police Station, a lorry travelling from Nairobi towards Mombasa was involved in a series of collisions after its driver allegedly failed to keep to his proper lane while overtaking a fleet of vehicles.
Police said the lorry rammed into the rear right side of another lorry before the driver lost control.
The out-of-control lorry then collided sideways with an oncoming Peugeot and a Toyota Noah before swerving into the climbing lane, where it collided head-on with a PSV matatu.
The lorry later collided with a Nissan UD travelling from Mombasa towards Nairobi, bringing it to a stop.
Police said the matatu driver and 12 passengers died at the scene. The driver of the lorry and three occupants of the lorry also died, bringing the number of fatalities to 17.
Mwangangi said the crash involved a chain of accidents.
“It was a chain of accidents. It involved a 14-seater matatu that was headed towards Nairobi and a lorry. A lorry rammed into another lorry, pulled it and caused a chain of accidents. In the process, a head-on collision between the 14-seater matatu and the lorry occurred,” Mwangangi said.
The accident was reported at Salama Police Station as a fatal road traffic accident.
Several other people were injured in the multiple-vehicle crash, causing a heavy traffic snarl along the busy highway.
Police officers and other emergency responders rushed to the scene to assist the injured and process the scene.
Mwangangi said seven injured people were admitted to Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital, with six of them suffering soft tissue injuries before they were treated and discharged.
One of the lorry drivers was among those rushed to hospital after sustaining severe head and abdominal injuries.
“We stabilised and referred him to Makueni County Referral Hospital. As we speak, we have 14 bodies in our mortuary. It is a sad day for us,” Mwangangi said.
He added that three other bodies were taken to another mortuary within the area.
Police officers documented the scene before the damaged vehicles were towed to Salama Police Station yard, where they will be detained pending inspection as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.
Eastern Regional Police Commander Stephen Chebet said investigations into the crash were ongoing.
“We urge motorists to be cautious on the roads. These are too many people to lose,” he said.
