Lorry Plunges Into Indian Ocean As Driver Disembarks From Likoni Ferry

A lorry ferrying cement slipped and plunged into the Indian Ocean at the Likoni Ferry channel on Saturday, December 24.

Coast Regional Commissioner, John Elungata stated that its driver had lost control of the vehicle while he was disembarking a ferry bound for the mainland.

According to Elungata, the lorry had two occupants at the time of the incident; the driver and his conductor.

A lorry which slipped and plunged into the Indian Ocean on December 24, 2022. /TWITTER.ALI MANZU

They were rescued by standby divers and the security personnel manning the ferry crossing channel.

“It was disembarking from the ferry but the driver lost control and the car plunged into the sea," he said.

He added that a medical response team was deployed to the scene to rescue the two before taking them in for medical attention.

Elungata pointed out that the truck was overloaded with cement, a traffic offence, which contributed to its mechanical breakdown and the accident, something he said could have been avoided.

The truck was pulled out of the ocean and impounded for further investigation. The Christmas and new year's festivities have seen the channel experience increased traffic flow following a huge number of people connecting between Mombasa and the South Coast.

In January 2021, a truck plunged into the ocean at the same channel. According to the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS), the driver of the loaded truck Reg. TZ548 lost control while boarding MV Kilindini from the mainland on Wednesday morning, despite eventually escaping unhurt.

Ferry users were further advised that only one side of the ramp on the mainland side would be used due to the accident.

Despite numerous reports of such incidents involving vehicles plunging into the ocean at the Likoni Channel, little has been done to avert another crisis.

The crossing is a must-use for anybody visiting the award-winning Diani beach by road, for wildlife lovers going to watch the elephants of Shimba Hills and for those crossing to head over to neighbouring Tanzania via the Lunga Lunga border.

The sight of a ferry cruising across the blue waters while carrying passengers and vehicles is fantastic, but the trouble lies in embarking and disembarking it, especially for motorists. It is a puzzle drivers have to crack every day for a successful six-minute ride across the channel before attempting to get it right again while disembarking.

Buses, trucks and trailer drivers have few seconds to navigate the steep slope, uncontrolled pedestrian traffic and vehicle congestion to avoid a tragic end.

One of the most tragic incidents at the same spot occurred in September 2019 when a car slipped off a ferry midway, plunging into the waters, tragically drowning a mother and her daughter.

The September incident, which saw agencies take a record 11 days to recover the bodies of Miriam Kighenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu, drew condemnation and uproar over the safety of motorists in the channel.

The vehicle that slipped off a ferry at the Likoni channel and sunk into the Indian Ocean with a woman and her daughter retrieved in September 2019. /THE STAR