Death toll in Kilimambogo crash rise to 18; relatives flock hospital to check on loved ones.
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| The wreckage of the vehicles that were involved in an accident near Kilimambogo junction killing 18 people on Sunday night. |
The accident, which occurred at around 7pm, is said to have happened
when the driver of the KINATWA SACCO matatu KCG 851L tried to avoid hitting a
motorcyclist veered off its lane and rammed onto an oncoming Isuzu lorry Reg.
No. KAR 343S killing 11 people on the spot.
The KINATWA matatu was heading to Kitui from Nairobi
direction heading to Kitui.
By midnight, 18 people, who included the matatu driver and ten
of his passengers, among them two minors; a boy and a girl had been confirmed
dead.
Others casualties were the motorcyclist who caused the
accident plus a pedestrian who was caught up in the mix. The truck driver, who was
trapped for hours in the cabin, also succumbed to his injuries on arrival at
Thika Level 5 Hospital. It took the efforts of the Fire brigade to untrap him
from the wreckage.
Those at the scene blamed the high number of casualties to
the delay in arrival of ambulances which took more than two hours to arrive at
the scene.
The scene was so horrific as bodies lay scattered all over
the road.
Thika Town MP Patrick Wainaina arrived a few minutes after
the accident and assisted in transporting the injured to hospital.
Thika Level 5 Hospital was a beehive of activity as the
doctors did all they could to save those who were injured.
According to doctors at the hospital, 9 people survived with
2 of the survivors being transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital in very
critical condition, while 1 is in the hospital’s ICU unit. 6 of the injured
have been admitted with various injuries in the general wards.
It is alleged that the matatu had on board 22 passengers
with the lorry carrying 3 passengers.
Eye witness account accused the matatu driver of
overspeeding notwithstanding that it had carried more passengers than the
recommended 14.
Eng. Wainaina pointed an accusing finger to traffic police
officers and the National Transport and
Safety Authority (NTSA),
failing to understand how this matatu managed to pass all the roadblocks
without being put to account.
“I fail to understand how a 14-seater matatu passed all the
roadblocks with 22 people on board. Furthermore, it seems not to have a
functional speed governor something that brings to the question the work of
both the police and NTSA. These roadblocks are just cash cows for unscrupulous officers,”
lamented the Thika legislator.
Monday morning, it was a sombre mood at the Thika Level 5
Hospital and General Kago Funeral Home as relatives of those involved flocked to
know the status of their loved ones.
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