SALAMA, Kenya- Seventeen people were killed and several others injured in a chain of collisions involving multiple vehicles at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Kilome, along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway.
The crash happened at about 12.10am on Saturday.
Police said a Howo Sinotruk truck travelling from Nairobi towards Mombasa allegedly left its lane while overtaking a line of vehicles and struck the rear right side of a Hino truck.
The impact caused the Sinotruk driver to lose control.
The truck then collided with an oncoming Peugeot and a Toyota Noah before swerving into the climbing lane, where it hit a Toyota Hiace public service vehicle head-on.
The truck’s movement ended after it collided with a Nissan UD travelling from Mombasa towards Nairobi.
Seventeen killed at the scene
Police said the driver of the matatu and 12 passengers died at the scene.
The Sinotruk driver, identified as Shijire, and three passengers travelling in the truck also died, bringing the confirmed death toll to 17.
Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Stephen Mwangangi confirmed the toll, describing the incident as a chain of collisions.
“It was a chain of accidents. It involved a 14-seater matatu that was headed towards Nairobi and a lorry. A lorry rammed into another lorry, pulled it and caused a chain of accidents,” Mwangangi said.
He said seven injured people were admitted to Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital.
Six had soft-tissue injuries and were treated and discharged.
A lorry driver with serious head and abdominal injuries was stabilised and referred to Makueni County Referral Hospital.
The hospital had 14 bodies in its mortuary, Mwangangi said, while three others were taken to a different mortuary in the area.
Police investigate crash
The crash caused heavy traffic along the highway as police and emergency responders assisted the injured and documented the scene.
The damaged vehicles were towed to Salama Police Station, where they will be held pending inspection.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing.
Eastern Regional Police Commander Stephen Chebet urged motorists to exercise caution,
“These are too many people to lose,” he said.
