Seven people were on Tuesday afternoon burnt beyond recognition after an oil tanker hit a matatu and a private vehicle at Iraru Bridge along the Meru-Nairobi highway.
The tanker that was heading towards Meru
town lost control after hitting another oil tanker coming from the
opposite direction and started accelerating towards the bridge.
It hit the bridge rail guards and caught fire immediately, before hitting the matatu and the private car, a Toyota Rav 4.
All occupants in the matatu
managed to escape through the windows before the vehicle burst into
flames, but five occupants of the private vehicle and two others, a
driver and turn boy of the lorry were burnt beyond recognition.
The matatu
driver who identified himself as Ambrose Kimani narrated how he spotted
the lorry heading to his vehicle at high speed and he veered off the
road towards the rail guards to avoid a head-on collision.
“The
lorry was in flames and it hit our vehicle and hurled fire balls to our
vehicle. We all rushed out through the windows, only to see the lorry
hit another small vehicle and both burst into flames,” said Kimani.
The matatu and the Rav 4 vehicle were heading towards Embu town.
Some sources claim that the ill-fated private car belonged to the Catholic Arch Diocese of Meru, and the occupants were heading to a burial in Chuka town.
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