Four dead, several injured in Kirinyaga road crash

Kerugoya County Referral Hospital

Kerugoya County Referral Hospital in Kirinyaga County where survivors of the road crah were admitted.

Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Toyota matatu, which was heading towards Baricho from Kagio, rolled and overturned.
  • Rescuers had to force the mangled vehicle open to rescue the survivors who were trapped inside.

Four people lost their lives in a road crash along the Gatuto-Baricho road in Kirinyaga County on Saturday evening.

Several others were injured in the crash and were rushed to Kerugoya Referral Hospital for treatment.

Kirinyaga County Police Commander, Andrew Naibei, confirmed the incident, saying investigations had been launched to establish the cause of the fatal accident.

The incident happened when a Toyota matatu, which was heading towards Baricho from Kagio, rolled and overturned.

Survivors trapped inside

According to Mr Naibei, the matatu driver was taking a shorter route to Baricho when the accident happened.

Eyewitnesses said the driver lost control of the vehicle which veered off the road and rolled several times before landing on a ditch.

Rescuers had to force the mangled vehicle open to rescue the survivors who were trapped inside.

The scene was littered with valuables belonging to the victims. Traffic police officers, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, kept guard to keep off looters.

Observe traffic rules

The accident caused a major traffic jam in the area as scores of residents blocked the road during the rescue exercise.

At the same time, Mr Naibei advised drivers to be careful on the roads to avoid such accidents.

"Drivers should observe traffic rules to save lives," he said.

Kerugoya Referral Hospital, medics said some of the survivors suffered leg and hand fractures but were responding well to treatment.