Three killed, 14 injured in Homa Bay crash
Wreckage of the matatu involved in an accident that left three dead at Arujo Bridge along Rongo-Homa Bay road.
Three people were killed in a road accident in Homa Bay County after a public service vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and rolled several times before landing in a ditch on Sunday.
14 passengers were injured in the gruesome crash at the notorious black spot.
The driver of the matatu is reported to have swerved to avoid a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle near Arujo Bridge along the Rongo-Homa Bay road.
At the time of the accident, two matatus and a truck were approaching the bridge at high speed. The matatu was behind the trailer and was headed to Homa Bay town from Rodi Kopany. The third vehicle was ferrying passengers to Rongo from Homa Bay.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Samson Ole Kiine said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of accident.
He cautioned motorists to avoid speeding along the busy road to avoid endangering lives.
Black spot
The section of the road where the accident occurred is a black spot owing to multiple traffic accidents that have occurred at the scene in the past.
Most of the accidents have been fatal and have claimed several lives.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the three vehicles were racing downhill towards the bridge before starting to ascend the hill on the opposite direction.
Arujo Sub-Location Assistant Chief Jackton Olielo who was among the first to arrive at the scene said the driver of the matatu had started overtaking the trailer before he noticed the oncoming matatu approaching from the opposite direction at a high speed.
“Both vehicles could have collided at the bridge and could have caused a serious accident at the bridge,” said Mr Olielo.
Mr Olielo said the driver swerved the matatu abruptly to avoid the head on collision before he suddenly applied the brakes to avoid hitting an anti-hill, causing the vehicle overturn and roll several times.
