Tanker Kills 1, Injures Several After Ramming Into Mourners’ Vehicles
A Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) trailer lost control and rammed into three vehicles, including a matatu and a hearse in Mai Mahiu, killing one and injuring several others.
Photos seen by AfricasNow revealed that the 14-seater matatu was hit from behind and thrown down the escarpment, lying upside-down.
Tanker truck rams into several vehicles at Maai Mahiu sending one matatu rolling down the escarpment; number of casualties yet to be confirmed. pic.twitter.com/PwyIkxxnAB
— Henix Obuchunju (@Obuchunju) September 11, 2024
The other two vehicles, including a hearse, collided, injuring the passengers on board.
Well-wishers and rescuers rushed to the scene shortly after the crash, causing traffic congestion.
Preliminary reports indicated that several people were trapped inside the matatu that overturned following the accident.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, one person was rescued while in critical condition and transported to the hospital, while eleven others were treated on the scene.
One family transporting a loved one’s body from Nairobi to Rongo suffered a double tragedy when the van they were in rolled down the escarpment after the accident.
It is claimed that the LPG gas driver attempted to control the vehicle, which had lost its brakes before the accident occurred.
BREAKING NEWS
— The People's Watchman (@Its_TheWatchman) September 11, 2024
A tanker loses control and rams into around 8 vehicles, killing several mourners in Mai Mahiu.
pic.twitter.com/SM1CBHxht1
According to eyewitnesses, the matatu, which was operating as a long-distance shuttle, rolled down a cliff and landed upside down alongside another van.
A tour van was also hit, leaving the back window completely shattered. The police have yet to issue an official statement regarding the crash.
The accident occurred less than a month after another accident on the Meru-Nairobi Highway at Nithi Bridge killed 12 people.
The National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) estimates that 3,000 people die in car accidents each year, with many of them occurring on weekends, during celebrations, and public holidays.
Tanker Kills 1, Injures Several After Ramming Into Mourners’ Vehicles
