At least 22 people have died following a head-on collision involving a bus and a lorry along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway in the Kanga area of Mtito Andei, Makueni County, on Sunday, October 25.
The accident occurred at around 7 am, killing 20 people at the scene. Two other victims later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash, raising the death toll to 22.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif had initially confirmed that 20 people died in the accident before the toll increased as more victims succumbed to their injuries.
The bus involved in the collision belonged to a church, and the passengers were reportedly travelling back home after attending a funeral service when the crash occurred.
Several other passengers sustained injuries in the accident and received emergency assistance before being rushed to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, authorities transferred the bodies of the deceased to the hospital’s mortuary as efforts to account for the victims and assist the injured continued.
The collision caused concern along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, one of Kenya’s major transport routes, which carries passenger buses, private vehicles and heavy commercial trucks.
Police launched investigations to establish the circumstances that led to the head-on collision. However, authorities had not established the exact cause of the crash by the time of reporting.
Investigators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the collision as authorities work to determine what caused the two vehicles to crash.
The accident adds to concerns over road safety on major highways, where collisions involving passenger vehicles and heavy trucks can result in multiple casualties.
