At least five people have died while several others are nursing critical injuries following an accident at Keroka town along the Keroka-Masimba road in Kisii County.
The accident occurred on Monday evening at around 7 pm after a speeding lorry carrying molasses lost control and veered off the road before ramming into boda boda operators.
Moments after the crash, a multi-agency team was immediately dispatched to the scene to help retrieve those who had been trapped under the wreckage.
According to Kisii County officer in charge of traffic, Richard Kipkemoi, several sustained injuries and were rushed to the Keroka Sub-County hospital for urgent medical attention.
Widely circulated footage of the accident showed the extensively damaged lorry overturned beside the road with several mangled motorcycles lying inside a trench.
The footage further showed a large crowd gathered around the accident scene, even as the police and the area disaster management teams colluded to help the victims.
The road crash paralysed traffic along the busy route, which connects Kisii and Nyamira counties, forcing motorists to seek alternative routes while others struggled to navigate the gridlock.
Kisii traffic police went ahead to cordon off the area to allow emergency workers to clear the debris, even as investigations commence to establish the root cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, the Keroka town accident adds to the number of road crashes witnessed across the country in the last week, with reports indicating that at least 17 people have perished in road accidents across Kenya over the previous 72 hours.
Just a day ago, 6 family members died in a road accident after their matatu lost control and plunged into the Kiama River in Gatanga, Murang'a County.
According to the police, the family members were coming from Ndia Village in Kariara ward, Gatanga Constituency, where they had gone for a dowry payment ceremony.
While six people died on the spot, others were left nursing injuries and were rushed to Kirwara and Murang’a Level 5 Hospitals. Police have since launched investigations.
