The death toll following a grisly accident that happened when a bus belonging to the Modern Coast Company plunged into Nithi bridge on Sunday rose to 33 on Monday, July 25.
The crash happened after the Mombasa-bound bus veered off the bridge after the driver lost control, reportedly because of brake failure.
In a statement by Modern Coast, the company stated that the 45-seater vehicle, registration number KCF 614 U, was not fully booked.
According to Tharaka Nithi County Police Commander Donatha Chali, the driver of the bus approached the bridge at high speed and ignored the traffic signs alerting motorists to slow down.
“The bus must have developed brake failure because it was moving at a very high speed when the accident happened,” a witness stated.
This is, however, not the first accident that has occurred at the bridge, which is a notorious killer spot with reports showing it has claimed more lives in the past.
In a report by NTV in 2018, Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki admitted the bridge was a dangerous spot which needed re-modelling but nothing has been done yet.
In 2021, five people died while four others were injured at the same spot. The accident occurred when a truck collided with a matatu.
Alex Mugambi, who is the Tharaka Nithi County Rescue Team patron, stated that only one passenger in the matatu survived the crash.
At a similar spot in 2019, four people died and 11 others sustained injuries after a 14-seater matatu and lorry collided at a similar spot.
The driver of the lorry that was ferrying building blocks from Meru town to Chuka town hit the matatu that was ferrying ten people from Nairobi.
The residents recounted witnessing more than ten fatal accidents on the stretch between the notorious Nithi bridge and Chogoria town within a year.
In April 2018, two people died while 21 others were injured in road accidents near Maara River Bridge on the Meru-Nairobi highway.
Maara police boss Johnston Kabusia said a bus belonging to Joy Kenya Company that was headed to Meru town from Nairobi overturned a few metres from the bridge shortly before 10pm Saturday.
The bus' driver had steered the vehicle into a bush as he tried to avoid plunging into the river after brakes failed.
The report by NTV done in 2018 indicates 40 people lost their lives in the year 2,000 at the bridge. Two years before that, another 58 people also died, raising questions about the design and safety of the crucial bridge.
