Three pupils of Ober Primary School in Kisumu County have become the latest victims of road carnage in the country after they were killed in a gruesome accident along the Kisumu-Kisii highway early Wednesday morning.
The accident occurred at Kibwon area in Nyakach sub-county and claimed the lives of the students who were returning home from school for the April holidays.
A conductor of the ill-fated passenger van was also killed in the accident, while several passengers sustained serious injuries.
Confirming the incident, Kisumu County Traffic Commander Peter Leparsare said most of the injured passengers had been rushed to nearby St Joseph's Nyabondo Mission Hospital for treatment.
"Our officers are already at the scene trying to ascertain the cause of the accident. I will give a brief update as soon as I get the full report," he said when contacted by Nation.Africa .
Three students and matatu operator die after tragic road accident in Kibuon, Kisumu.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Dr Edwin Oyugi, the medical director at St Joseph's Nyabondo Mission Hospital, said they had received 19 casualties.
"Most of them are stable but have sustained head and abdominal injuries. We have done CT scans and abdominal X-rays. One student is in critical condition and has been referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital for neurosurgical assessment," he said.
Twenty-two students were on board at the time of the accident. They reportedly boarded the vehicle outside the school premises and were heading towards Kisumu.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the passenger van lost control of the vehicle while overtaking a stationary truck, leading to the accident.
"I was on my way to weed my farm near the road when I heard a loud bang followed by screams. When I rushed to the scene, I found schoolchildren crying for help," said one witness.
Three students and a matatu driver die in a tragic road accident in Kibuon, Kisumu
Kisumu County Governor Anyang' Ny'ong'o said in a statement to newsrooms that the accident could have been avoided if the drivers of the two vehicles had taken the necessary precautions and acted professionally.
"I wish to appeal to the police to immediately launch detailed investigations into this accident to establish the cause and take appropriate action to individuals whose mistakes may have led to the crash," he said.
Meanwhile in Homa Bay County five students of Mbita Boys High School were hit by a speeding vehicle on Wednesday morning after the driver of the saloon car allegedly lost control and ran into them on the sidewalks, heading to Mbita Town.
According to a witness, the car was moving at high speed at the time of the accident.
"The driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol," said the witness.
"This morning as we released our students to travel home, at around 8.30 am, four of our students who were on a motorcycle, going to town were accidentally hit by a vehicle causing them injuries. They were rushed to Prince Richard Hospital and Mbita level 4 Hospital," the School's principal, Kennedy Ojijo, explained in a statement.
