At least 49 people have died in a road accident in Londiani, western Kenya, on Friday evening when a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, police and witnesses said.
“Unfortunately we lost 49 people in an accident here in Londiani,” Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters during a visit to the scene of the disaster.
“Investigations have been launched to establish the cause of this accident but we urge drivers to be cautious and follow the rules,” he added.
Footage of the accident’s aftermath carried by local broadcasters showed the twisted wreckages of cars and motorbikes alongside damaged minibuses and trucks.
The Kenya Red Cross said the lorry rammed more than six vehicles and ran over pedestrians. More than 20 casualties were taken to local hospitals, the Red Cross said.
“The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani,” Kenyan President William Ruto wrote in a tweet.
Rescuers have resumed a search for victims of the crash, which occurred on a highway between the lakeside town of Nakuru and Kericho, an area known for its lush tea plantations.
“The search has resumed and we want to remove two of the bodies in the wreckage, we don’t know if they are more,” Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan said.
He said more than 30 people were also injured when the truck rammed into cars, minibuses, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) and market stalls at the teeming Londiani junction.
The accident is one of the most deadly on Kenya’s roads in recent years. Last year 34 people died in central Kenya when their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river valley
