An official says 50 people have died after the bus they were traveling in left the road, rolled down a slope and crashed in the western Kenyan town of Kericho. The death toll in the Fort Ternan bus crash has risen to 50 from the 42 that was initially reported.
Rift Valley regional police boss Francis Munyambu said survivors from the bus that was headed from Nairobi to western town of Kakamega were receiving treatment at local hospitals. The accident happened around 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
Kenya has struggled to reduce the rising number of road accidents as more people acquire vehicles in the country’s growing middle class. In 2013, the government re-introduced breathalyzers, but had to remove them again after court orders barred police from charging drivers using readings from the devices as evidence.
According to government statistics, around 3,000 Kenyans die every year in road accidents.
The bus, belonging to Western Cross Sacco, crashed in an area locals call Tunnel on Londiani-Muhuroni Road on Wednesday morning with eyewitnesses putting the time of the accident at about 4am.
The 67-seater bus is said to have veered off the road while descending a steep slope. The bus then hit a guard rail, rolled and plunged down about 20 metres, where it landed on a rocky farm.
Kericho County Police Commander James Mogera has said the casualties could rise since more people are still trapped in the wreckage.
The injured have been taken to Fort Ternan dispensary and Muhoroni Sub County Hospital for treatment.
Among those who died following the crash are eight children below five.
An eyewitness, Mr Jackson Koskei, told the Nation that he heard a long hooting sound, then a screech that was followed by a bang and loud screams of passengers.