Five students die, seven injured as matatu, lorry collide in Naivasha
Five students have died and seven others injured after a Nairobi-bound matatu they were traveling in collided with a lorry near Delamare estates in Naivasha along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway.
Naivasha sub-county police commander Emmanuel Bowen said the seven suffered serious injuries following the afternoon accident and were rushed to the Naivasha Sub-county hospital
"The students were heading home for the April holidays," said Mr Bowen.
Giving the sequence of events, the police boss said the matatu driver was trying to overtake several vehicles before the matatu collided head-on with the oncoming lorry.
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“He was speeding at the time of the incident,” added Mr Bowen.
The accident caused a huge traffic jam along the busy highway, with police having a hard time controlling the building traffic.
The Naivasha accident comes hardly 24 hours after another accident at the Jogoo area near Mau Summit along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway, which claimed four lives, on Monday evening.
The Monday evening accident involved a bus belonging to Tahmeed bus company that lost control, and hit a student before landing in a ditch.
Kuresoi North sub-county police commander Judah Gathenge, in an interview with the Nation revealed that the bus was traveling toward Nakuru, from Eldoret, when the accident occurred.
"It was a self-involving accident. The Tahmeed company bus was coming from Eldoret heading towards Nakuru direction but upon reaching Jogoo area the driver lost control veering off the road before it landed in a ditch," Mr Gathenge told the Nation.
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"The bus hit a secondary school student who was coming from school before it landed in a ditch. Three passengers also lost their lives in the accident," added the police boss.
Seventeen people who were injured are undergoing treatment at the Molo sub-county hospital.
Eyewitnesses said the three passengers and the student died on spot.
At the time of the accident, the bus had 26 passengers on board.
The wreckage of the bus was towed to Mau Summit Police Station while the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Molo sub-county hospital.
