September 2, 2014
Eight people perished
and 35 others critically injured following a gruesome road accident in River Isiukhu
along Kisumu Kakamega highway today morning.
The accident involving a bus
heading to Kakamega collided with a pick up carrying a corpse from Kakamega
provincial Hospital Mortuary.
Patricia Shivachi, a survivor
recounts how the accident occurred.
“The pickup from Kakamega was speeding and overtook
a saloon car but our bus was also coming down to Kakamega and this forced our
vehicles to collide head on. Our vehicle overturned and I found myself thrown
out of the vehicle,” she said.
Brian Alukwe another survivor of
the tragedy said that it’s God’s grace that he is alive.
“I was sitting on the back seat
when I heard a loud bang. The next thing was seeing a crowd gather around us
when the bus was down and pulled me and other passengers out,” Said Alukwe
An eye witness Justus
Chungani, said the pickup was overtaking a saloon car when it rammed into the oncoming
bus.
“The pick-up was coming from
Kakamega and headed towards Savanna in Shinyalu and was overtaking that saloon
car that is currently parked there. The bus driver tried to swerve to give way
but it was too late,” said Chungani.
Chungani who was dressing in
safety gloves offered by Red-Cross after helping load corpses and the injured
onto passing vehicles with bare hands says that he counted around six bodies at
the scene,
“We loaded about six bodies and
the critically injured on passing
Kakamega traffic Boss Evans
Gatemba said they carried bodies to mortuary and the injured to Kakamega County
General Hospital and could not confirm the exact deaths at going to press,
“As you see we are in the process
of rescuing the injured, we have taken some to hospital and the dead to
hospital,” he said.
Police were busy at the scene
clearing the crowds as Red-Cross officials and St. Johns ambulances loaded the
injured in their ambulances to take them to hospital.
The pickup driver died on the spot
as the bus driver was taken to hospital with critical injuries the bus
conductor was crushed when the bus turned.
The body that was being ferried
from Kakamega County General Hospital mortuary was returned to the same
mortuary after it poured on the road as the wooden casket which it was in fell
on the road and burst.
County Director of Health Brenda
Makokha said that 35 were admitted at the county Hospital and dead taken to the
hospital’s mortuary,
“We took 35 injured to our County
General Hospital and so far there is no major case to warrant a referral to
other Hospitals” Said Makokha.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe
Oparanya arrived at the accident scene to console families of the dead and said
he was going to visit the sick in hospitals,
“I am very sorry to the families
and friends of those who have lost loved ones. I heard of the accident 30
minutes ago and came to condone with you,” said Oparanya.
Angry eye witnesses however
questioned the governors over the narrow nature of the road claiming it a
reason for accidents on the said road Oparanya said the process of expanding
the rad was going on,
“Expanding the road is a longtime
thing and I assure you that the expansion is already on,” Oparanya said.
A man stealing sandals and other
valuables from the scene was chased by the angry mob from the scene.
ENDS
