24 People Injured, 7 Of Them Critical In Landless/Kwaheri Accident.
The remains of the Kinatwa matatu. PHOTO BY: Carolyne Mwaniki |
At least 7 people were seriously injured and about 17 others
escaped with minor injuries when the vehicles they were travelling in collided
head early last night near Kwaheri, Muguga Area along Thika-Garissa Highway. The
crash, that involved a Kinatwa Sacco 14-seater matatu and a bus owned by Silker
Company, occurred shortly after 7:30pm local time near the junction to ‘Kwa Kerei’
just past Landless Estate, about 5 Kilometers from Makongeni Estate.
According to eyewitness account, the Kinatwa van was headed
to Nairobi from Kitui while the Silker bus was heading the opposite direction.
It is said that the bus tried to overtake another vehicle resulting to the
accident. The impact tore the front parts of the two vehicles with the matatu bearing
the blunt of it all, shredding and flipping off several of its parts on the
sides.
Most of the injured were in the matatu, including its
driver. Good Samaritans who rushed to the scene were forced to use metal bars
and axes to free those trapped in the wreckage. The casualties, most of whom
had sustained muscle and limb injuries, were rushed to Thika Level 5 Hospital
plus several other nearby health facilities.
Motoristst and commuters plying the Thika-Garissa Highway
were caught unawares by sounds of ambulance silens rushing the patients to the various
hospitals around. The crash closed the two lanes of the road, causing heavy
traffic delays for several hours especially towards Makongeni area.
According to Thika OCPD Mr. Erastus Muthamia who led the
rescue operation, said that the accident had by last night not claimed anyone but he
confirmed that 7 people had escaped with critical injuries with 17 others
sustaining minor injuries, most of whom had boarded the bus.
Mr Muthamia commended the speedy response of the emergency
response team but at the same time called on drivers to be a little bit
cautious on the roads especially during the night.
The vehicles were taken to the police station to assist in
investigations.
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