ACCIDENT

Four people were killed and 10 others wounded after a lorry carrying empty beer bottles landed on a matatu that was ferrying passengers to town on a busy highway in Nairobi.

Police and witnesses said the accident occurred at about 7.30am near the busy Mutindwa market on Outer Ring Road in Umoja Estate.

“The matatu was full to capacity and was traveling from Kayole to the city centre when it was involved in the accident. A truck ferrying empty beer crates lost control and landed on the matatu,” Kipkemoi Rop, police commander for Buru Buru division said at the scene.

“We have lost four people who died after part of the matatu was flattened and seven others have been wounded, those wounded have been taken to hospital but one of them is in a serious condition,” Mr Rop added.

A witness Joseph Mwangi said the truck lost control as it tried to swerve to avoid hitting a motorcyclist, before it landed on the matatu.

“The driver (of the truck) tried to move from one side of the road to the other to avoid hitting the motorcyclist when the accident occurred,” the witness said.

Police did not locate the truck’s driver or other crew immediately as he was said to have left the scene immediately the lorry overturned.

“We looking for him, we hope he presents himself because we need him to assist us know what exactly happened,” Mr Rop said.

Police and rescuers had a hard time helping survivors get out of the mangled wreckage of the matatu.

Rescuers were still struggling to rescue a man who had been trapped in his seat.

He was however, pronounced dead as the rescuers tried to get him aboard an ambulance.

Among those saved alive was a young baby aged about one year whose mother was rushed to hospital.

Emotions ran high at the scene as relatives of those wounded or killed wailed and demanded to be shown the bodies which were driven away to the City mortuary.

A middle-aged woman who only identified herself as Monica whose husband died in the accident said “he left home shortly before six and he was heading to town. I was only called later to the scene here and I have seen his body.”

One of her daughters was traveling in a matatu which was following the ill-fated one.

“My daughter was traveling in the matatu behind this one, and when she alighted to look at what had happened, she saw her father,” she said.

Ms Monica said that her husband was an accountant and was headed to work when the accident occurred.

Two of the deceased man’s daughters wailed uncontrollably at the scene of the Tuesday morning accident.