Several Feared Dead After Gas Tanker Rams Into Multiple Vehicles
First responders and well-wishers from the area arrived at the scene to help rescue the casualties.
Several passengers are feared dead after a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker lost control and rammed into three vehicles at the Mai Mahiu escarpment.
The three vehicles include a matatu and a hearse, according to reports. Photos obtained by Viral Tea showed the matatu lying upside down after it was hit to the point of hurtling down the escarpment.
According to preliminary reports, several casualties were trapped below the matatu that overturned after the accident. It was knocked over from behind by the truck before it rolled down the escarpment.
A matatu involved in a road accident along Mai Mahiu on September 11, 2024. /X
First responders and well-wishers from the area arrived at the scene to help rescue the casualties.
Witnesses estimated that there were several fatalities from the crash, though the actual number is yet to be established as police officers investigate the accident.
One family transporting the body of their loved one to Rongo, Homa Bay County was hit by a double tragedy as the van they were travelling in rolled down the escarpment following the accident.
Witnesses also detailed that a matatu belonging to Galaxy Shuttle rolled down a cliff, landing upside down. Another van also rolled down the cliff.
At the same time, a tour van was also hit, and the back of its window was completely shattered.
It was alleged that the LPG gas driver tried to control the vehicle which lost its brakes before the accident occurred.
This accident comes days after three people were killed after being involved in a road accident at Fort Ternan along the Londiani-Muhoroni highway in Kericho County, involving a double-cabin pick-up government vehicle and a lorry transporting LPG.
All three occupants of the GK vehicle died on the spot while the driver of the lorry sustained serious injuries. Kericho County Traffic Enforcement Officer Selina Chirchir confirmed the accident saying the lorry and the pick-up collided head-on.
Data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reveals that as of August 28, 2024, 15,651 victims have been involved in road accidents this year compared to 14,745 in 2023.
NTSA recorded 3,056 deaths from 7,114 accidents in 2024 so far, an increase from 2,910 deaths from 6,411 accidents in this period in 2023, raising concerns in terms of what is done to curb the rise in road accidents.