At least six people died on Friday, November 21, following a fatal road accident involving a lorry and a 14-seater matatu in the Mbooni area of Makueni County.
Reports indicate that the accident occurred after the speeding lorry reportedly lost control and crashed into a stationary matatu at Ngoluni Stage in Mbooni East.
Witnesses said that the lorry veered off the recently tarmacked road at Ngoluni Junction, hitting a Matatu that was picking up passengers heading to Machakos and Nairobi.
In the incident, six people succumbed on the spot while several others sustained critical injuries and were rushed to the Machakos Level Five Hospital and other nearby health facilities in Makueni.
Among those who died were four Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who were heading home after completing their national examinations.
While confirming the incident, Mbooni East Sub-County Police Commander Ibrahim Karani said the injured were rushed to Makueni Level Five Hospital, while the bodies of the deceased were taken to Tower Mortuary.
Footage of the accident showed the matatu extensively damaged with broken windows, deflated tyres, broken windscreen, mangled seats with pieces of glass strewn all over the scene.
The accident attracted a huge crowd, with several people gathered to help the area traffic police officers retrieve the bodies of those trapped under the wreckage.
The latest incident comes amidst a surge in the cases of road accidents over the past two weeks. Just a week ago, several people died after a bus collided with a lorry along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The accident took place on November 15 after the bus driver, who was heading to Mombasa from Kisumu through Nairobi, lost control and rammed into an oncoming lorry at the Kinyambu area in Makueni County.
Witnesses revealed that the bus driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the lorry, resulting in a fatal crash.
NTSA data indicate that from January to October this year, the country recorded 3,890 road fatalities, compared to 3,805 during the same period last year.
According to the Authority, the deaths include 1,460 pedestrians, 351 drivers, 378 pillion passengers, 57 pedal cyclists, and 1,000 motorcyclists.
