As of Saturday 9am, the death toll following the grisly road accident at Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho highway had risen to 49 and by noon it was 52, according to Kericho Governor Eric Mutai.
The Friday 7pm accident involved a truck that was travelling from Nakuru towards Kericho that lost control and rammed into several matatus, private vehicles and motorcycles before landing in a ditch.
The truck also crashed into hawkers selling roasted maize, vegetables, cabbages and oranges by the roadside on the Muhoroni turn-off.
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen said, when he visited the scene Saturday morning, that the truck involved in the accident was not locally owned and is registered in Rwanda.
“It is difficult to know the roadworthiness of the truck at this stage as we will have to engage the Rwandan government on this,” Mr Murkomen said.
Confirming the incident last night, Rift Valley regional commissioner Abdi Hassan said the death toll had risen to 48 at around 11.30pm Friday, June 30, as other victims succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital.
Some of the motorcycles believed to be owned by some of the victims who were killed during an accident at Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho Highway on June 30, 2023
Photo credit: John Njoroge | Nation Media Group
Speaking at the scene of the accident on Friday night, Dr Hassan added that two bodies are trapped at the scene where about 30 people were injured.
One of the wreckages is towed away from the accident scene at Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho Highway on June 30, 2023.
Photo credit: John Njoroge | Nation Media Group
A matatu driver who identified himself as Peter Otieno said he was driving towards Nakuru from Kendu Bay when the accident occurred at around 6:30 pm on Friday.
“I was driving to Nairobi from Kendu Bay when I saw the truck hurtling down with the driver struggling to control it. I swerved to the left as I was climbing uphill, and the driver of the car that was behind me tried to overtake but was knocked by the truck,” Mr Otieno said.
According to the eye witness, out of the impact, the vehicle was thrown off the road before it landed on a ditch as the truck went on to crash other cars on the road before overturning.
At around 9pm, Londiani police boss Agnes Kunga confirmed that at least 20 people had perished and tens had been rushed to various health facilities in Nakuru and Kericho for treatment.
"We have lost more than 20 people in the horrific accident. Dozens of others have been rushed to various hospitals including Londiani, Molo sub-county and Nakuru Level Five hospitals," said Ms Kunga.
“It is a very bad accident. Several people are feared dead while others are trapped in the wreckage in the pile-up.”
Initial reports indicated that more than 20 people died on the spot with an unknown number still trapped in the wreckage.
The scene of a grisly accident at Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho Highway where at least 48 people died after a truck lost control and veered off the road, ramming several vehicles on June 30, 2023.
Photo credit: John Njoroge | Nation Media Group
"We have moved more than 20 bodies to the mortuary but others are still trapped in the vehicles. An official statement will be out once we reconcile the numbers," a senior police officer told Nation.Africa at around 9pm.
A doctor at the Londiani sub-county hospital has said by press time that more than 50 victims were being attended to at the facility.
A breakdown truck arrives at the scene where several people died after a truck rammed into vehicles, crashed into hawkers by the roadside at the Muhoroni turn-off at Londiani along the Kericho- Nakuru Highway.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Wreckages in a pile-up after a truck rammed several vehicles at Londiani Junction.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
An unknown number of victims are also said to have been rushed by good samaritans to various hospitals spread between the two counties of Nakuru and Kericho.
Rescue efforts are being coordinated by the police with darkness and a drizzle hampering the efforts.
All major hospitals in the region responded to the accident by dispatching their ambulances and having medics on standby to deal with the emergency.
The county government of Kericho dispatched all its ambulances to the scene with the Kenya Red Cross Society responding to the emergency.
