5 familia moja wafa wakienda kuzika

Narok, Kenya:

WATU watano wa familia moja wanahofiwa kuwa ni miongoni mwa watu 41 waliokufa usiku wa kuamkia jana wakati basi walilokuwa wakisafiria kupoteza mwelekeo na kupinduka mara kadhaa katika eneo la Ntulele nchini Kenya.

Ndugu wa wanafamilia hao aliyenusurika katika ajali hiyo,Jared Okoth, amesema, yenye na ndugu zake walikuwa wanakwenda kumsika ndugu yao mwingine anayetarajiwa kuzikwa leo.

Soma zaidi hapo chini

Five members of a clan from Homa Bay, Migori County, are among those feared to have perished in the Ntulele accident that claimed 41 lives.

They were travelling to Homa Bay to attend funeral of their relative, who died last week and will be buried today.

Jared Okoth, 25, a member of the group who survived the accident and was admitted at Narok North District Hospital said he believed the rest of the team was killed since he could not trace them.

“I have gone round the hospital wards and even to the mortuary but I cannot trace any of them. There are no records in this hospital,” said Okoth, who comes from Sori area, Homa Bay. “They might be among those who were killed.” he added.

He sustained a fractured finger and facial injuries.

Okoth, who was writhing in pain but still determined to locate his relatives dead or alive, said the burial was supposed to have taken place Friday.

“We left Machakos Bus Station shortly after midnight for us to arrive early for burial preparation. We were seated in different locations in the bus. Hours after the accident, I cannot trace any of them. Though I’m happy to be alive, I’m still concerned about them,” narrated Okoth.

He said he was lucky that his sister, who was also in the bus survived.

“I’m sad, but also happy that my sister Mary Adhiambo, who suffered a fracture on her right arm survived,” he said while receiving numerous telephone calls from friends and relatives, who were making enquiries about the accident.

The accident occurred near Narok, 85 miles west of Nairobi. Deadly road accidents are common in Kenya, where highways lack safety features like guard rails or reflective paint.

The bus was travelling from Nairobi to Homa Bay on the banks of Lake Victoria when it flew off the road, rolled over and plunged down a hill.

"It is difficult to tell exactly what happened but all indications point to speeding and possibly overloading," he said. "It is quite disturbing."

Police also told the Standard newspaper that the driver may have fallen asleep.

Police and the Kenyan Red Cross said they had confirmed 41 deaths. At least 27 other passenger had suffered "multiple injuries".

Kimaru said police had "a difficult time recovering the bodies because this place is hilly and bushy".

"We've dozens others injured and we are not certain how many because they were taken to various hospitals... we have officers checking with the hospitals," Kimaru said.

He said it was unclear if the driver was dead or among the injured.

Kenyan roads are notoriously dangerous, with buses badly maintained and often overloaded so operators can maximise profits.

In February, 30 people died in a bus crash in the east of the country, and in July a school bus crash killed 20, most of them children.

Traffic regulations and fines were toughened late last year, although the local press continue to point at police corruption as a major problem.

Standard