One dead, 28 hurt after bus rolls in Taita Taveta County

One person died while at least 28 others were injured on January 7, 2018 when this bus rolled several times at Josa along the Mwatate-Wundanyi road in Taita Taveta County. Witnesses said the driver was speeding. PHOTO | BRIAN OCHARO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

County Police Commander Fred Ochieng said the vehicle was heading to Mombasa when it rolled. 

He said the injured passengers were taken to the Moi Referral Hospital in Voi for treatment.

One person has died while at least 28 have sustained serious injuries after a bus they were travelling in veered off the road and rolled at Josa along the Mwatate-Wundanyi road in Taita Taveta County.

Confirming the Sunday morning incident, County Police Commander Fred Ochieng said the vehicle was heading to Mombasa when it rolled. 

"One person has been confirmed dead while 28 others have sustained injuries including broken limbs," he said 

The police commander said the victims of the accident had gone to bury their colleagues at Mgamboyi in Wundanyi constituency and that they were returning back to Mombasa.

He said the injured passengers were taken to the Moi Referral Hospital in Voi for treatment.

Eye witness Davis Mwachanya said the vehicle was speeding when it veered off the road and landed in a ditch that is about 50 meters from the main road.

DRIVER SPEEDING

"The driver of the vehicle was driving at a high speed so he could not control the vehicle when it reached the scene of the accident," he said.

A survivor who spoke to Nation said the bus was carrying more than 40 passengers.

"We had gone for the funeral of our colleague. We were supposed to travel on Saturday but we opted to spend the night there due to the ban on night travel," the survivor who was reluctant to give his name saying he was traumatised said.

“I cannot say anything more than that; my colleague has died while others have serious injuries. I am not in my best mood to talk," he said.

A man who was involved in the rescue operation said they had to use an axe to help some victims out of the ill-fated bus that rolled several times before landing on the 50 meters ditch.

"The ones we rescued sustained serious injuries. Some had broken limbs while others broken hands, several others sustained visible injuries on their heads," he said.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that the passengers had attended the funeral of a Kenya Ports Authority employee.