NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 15-Seven people were killed, and dozens injured after a matatu carrying family members to a dowry ceremony veered off the road and plunged down a steep slope in Kibwezi, Makueni County.
The vehicle was transporting passengers from Mbongoni in Kibwezi towards Kalembwani when it lost control near a diversion and rolled several times, coming to rest on rocks near a river on Friday evening.
The victims were reportedly heading to Kalembwani for a traditional dowry ceremony when the journey turned tragic just a few kilometres from their destination.
A witness said the group was travelling with a daughter for the family celebration when the accident occurred.
“There was a certain family celebration in this area. They were coming with their daughter and people from Mbongoni in Kibwezi. The accident occurred because the vehicle veered off the main road and went down about 400 metres until it landed on rocks. It injured around 30 people and killed seven.”
Another official said preliminary information from eyewitnesses indicated that the driver lost control shortly after a diversion.
“Unfortunately, a few metres from the diversion, the vehicle lost control according to information from eyewitnesses; it lost direction, and because the terrain is slopy, it plummeted down near the river.”
The crash triggered a multi-agency rescue operation involving the Kenya Red Cross, county disaster management officials and police officers.
The Kenya Red Cross said the matatu was carrying an estimated 50 passengers from Ivingoni Ward to Kyathi when it lost control and rolled several times at Kalembwani.
“Injured persons evacuated to Makueni County Referral Hospital. Scene clearance ongoing,” the Kenya Red Cross said in an initial update.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as residents rushed to the crash site to rescue survivors.
One witness said the cries of a child helped alert residents to the accident.
“The driver and one child were in the front; the child was crying loudly, and when people heard that sound, they all came together. I was one of them. Those who died were taken to the hospital.”
Survivors were evacuated to Makueni County Referral Hospital and Matiliku Sub-county Hospital for treatment.
A health official said the two facilities received dozens of injured passengers, with some already discharged.
“We found 28 survivors who were taken to Matiliku Sub-county Hospital. Our hospital, Makueni County Referral Hospital, received 41 survivors, and seven people lost their lives there. As of now, Matiliku Sub-county Hospital has been able to discharge or release five patients to go home.”
The conflicting figures in the initial emergency updates could reflect different stages of the rescue and hospital admission process, but officials confirmed that seven people died while dozens of others were injured.
The cause of the crash had not been conclusively established, with preliminary accounts pointing to loss of control on the steep and challenging section of road.
