2 killed, 18 injured in accidents on Mombasa–Kilifi highway
The wreckage of some of the vehicles involved in two separate accidents on the Mombasa–Kilifi highway in Shauri Moyo on August 25, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Kilifi South Sub-county Police Commander Joseph Wako said the first accident involved a lorry and a personal car and the second one two personal cars and a matatu.
- Speaking at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital, Health executive Charles Dadu said the crashes left a total of 18 people injured.
- Among three critically injured patients was the son of a prominent Mombasa businessman who was airlifted from the Kilifi facility, where they were all taken, to Mombasa hospital.
Two people were killed and 18 injured in two separate accidents on the Mombasa–Kilifi highway in Shauri Moyo on Monday.
Kilifi South Sub-county Police Commander Joseph Wako said the first accident involved a lorry and a personal car and the second one two personal cars and a matatu.
“In the first accident, the lorry driver was overtaking carelessly when he hit a Landcruiser head-on. In the second one, a Subaru driver from Mombasa forced a BMW off the road while overtaking and collided head-on with a matatu from Kilifi,” Mr Wako said.
Witness Suleiman Charo from Kibao cha Takaungu said he had boarded a matatu to his workplace in Vipingo a few minutes before the accidents happened.
Mr Charo said there were seven passengers in the matatu.
“The driver of a personal car from Mombasa was speeding and overtaking another one from the same direction. Our driver swerved from the road and the personal car collided head-on with a matatu which was also heading to Mombasa. We are lucky to have survived,” he said.
One of the cars involved in an accident on the Mombasa–Kilifi highway in Shauri Moyo on August 25, 2020.
Witness Grace Wairimu, who was in a matatu heading to Kilifi, said the second accident involved two matatus, two private cars and a motorcycle.
“A motorcycle was lying meters from the two matatus and one of the private cars. The rider was among the casualties,” she said.
Many injuries
Speaking at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital, Health executive Charles Dadu said the crashes left a total of 18 people injured.
Among three critically injured patients was the son of a prominent Mombasa businessman who was airlifted from the Kilifi facility, where they were all taken, to Mombasa hospital.
“We are saddened to say that a man and woman died. The woman left behind a boy below 10 years of age, who is stable. We are currently searching for his family … we are informed that she was from Mtwapa,” Mr Dadu said.
Members of the public at the scene of one of the accidents on the Mombasa–Kilifi highway in Shauri Moyo on August 25, 2020.
He added that authorities had not established the cars the people were in at the time of the accidents.
“I received a phone from Governor Amason Kingi asking me to dispatch three ambulances to an accident scene. He called me again after three minutes and asked me to dispatch more ambulances since there was another serious accident at the same scene,” he said.
Paul Muhonja from Mombasa Cement, near the accident scenes, said his boss asked him to send ambulances.
"Those involved in the first accident sustained serious injuries, "he said.
