Update, Tuesday, August 20: The death toll in the early morning accident that occurred around 4 am at the Migaa area near Salgaa along the Nakuru- Nairobi highway has risen to 13.
This is after seven more bodies were retrieved from the wreckage of the bus that lost control and rammed into a salon car before rolling along the highway.
According to Jasper Ombati, the Regional Police Commander in Rift Valley, 55 people have so far been confirmed to have sustained critical injuries from the accident.
Six people died on Tuesday morning after several vehicles including a 60-passenger bus got involved in an accident along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway.
While confirming the accident, the Kenya Red Cross Society revealed that about 36 people were injured in the early morning accident that occurred near the Salgaa area.
Following the accident, a multiagency team comprising police officers was dispatched to the scene to help rescue those trapped in the wreckage.
“Thirty-six injured individuals have been taken to Molo and Coptic Hospitals following a road traffic incident involving a PSV bus and multiple vehicles at Migaa in Molo, Nakuru County,” Kenya Red Cross disclosed.
The bus was en route to Mombasa from Kakamega when it lost control and rammed into a salon car before it rolled over the highway.
In the footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the wreckage of the bus was captured in an upside-down position with glass scattered along the highway.
Those injured were rushed to the Coptic and Molo hospitals for treatment with the deceased taken to the same hospitals. Meanwhile, the police have since launched investigations into the root cause of the accident.
Despite intense rescue efforts, there were fears that more people could still be trapped inside the bus wreckage.
According to one of the witnesses, the bus initially developed a mechanical hitch which was reported at the bus company's office in Kericho, however, the problem was not dealt with.
In an analogous situation in December last year, several people lost their lives on the same spot after a 14-seater matatu hit an oncoming lorry.
An emergency team comprising officers from the Kenya Red Cross were dispatched to the scene. “Kenya Police are currently clearing the scene and the Kenya Red Cross will provide psychological support to those affected,’ a statement from Kenya Red Cross read in part.
The accident that occurred around 10 am resulted in a huge traffic snarl-up along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway.
