A woman died and 12 other people were seriously injured when a lorry drove into passengers boarding a ferry in Mombasa on Friday morning.
The lorry was carrying timber and wood carvings from the south coast to the island.
It drove down the ramp on the mainland at high speed and in an effort to avoid hitting passengers who were boarding mv Harambee , the driver veered to his right. The vehicle then fell on its side and injured some commuters.
Ms Saumu Khamisi died after the lorry fell on her. According to eyewitnesses, flesh was torn off her leg and the entire foot was left on the ground during efforts to rescue her.
A Good Samaritan picked her mobile phone and called her boss, who immediately showed up at the Coast General Hospital with the intention of transferring her to a private hospital, only to be told that she had died.
According to Ms Lilian Ayumo, another victim, passengers had already started walking towards the ferry when they heard screams from behind. On turning, they saw the lorry heading straight towards them, she added.
“I started running, everything was going wild and moving so fast. Somebody stepped on my shoe and I fell. I then saw the lorry right next to me and the timber started falling on me,” said Ms Ayumo, adding that she then passed out.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself at the Coast General Hospital, and in great pain due to the injuries she sustained.
Mr Charles Omondi, whose mother, Rose Akego, was also a victim said he was called from Shimoni, near the Kenya-Tanzania border to come and attend to his parent.
“I was still sleeping when my mother called me but I could not understand what she was saying. All I could hear were wails and people shouting while she cried. I hung up and called her back but someone else picked my call and told me that she was involved in an accident,” said Mr Omondi.
According to the son, Ms Akego seemed to have suffered a hip fracture. She was undergoing treatment at the minor theatre when the Nation crew arrived.
Mombasa traffic boss Charles Koskei said a motor vehicle inspector was headed for Likoni to inspect the road worthiness of the vehicle.
After the victims were taken to hospital, police had a hard time controlling traffic as pedestrians moved to the scene to rummage through personal documents on the ferry floor, trying to ascertain whether any of the victims was a friend or relative.
Kenya Ferry Services’ safety technician Karisa Nzai urged commuters to be careful while using the vessels.
“Accidents like this one are common and pedestrians should try to abide by the safety announcements in order to avoid falling victim to such incidents,” he said.
