Vehicle plunges into Indian Ocean, search underway

What you need to know:

  • The incident comes barely three months after a woman and her daughter died at the channel after their car plunged into the ocean.

A vehicle has plunged into the Indian Ocean at the Likoni Channel in Mombasa.

Officials said the Saloon car was on the mainland side of the channel when the driver drove into the sea from the ramp at around 4.20 am Saturday.

Kenya Ferry Service (KFS) said in a statement that the driver of the vehicle drove at high speed after purchasing a ticket and plunged into the water.

KFS said search is underway and the number of occupants remains unknown.

First responders at the scene where a vehicle plunged into the ocean on December 7, 2019. PHOTO | MOHAMED AHMED | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The incident comes barely three months after a woman and her daughter died at the channel after their car plunged into the ocean.

Commuters use the Likoni Channel early Saturday. PHOTO | MOHAMED AHMED | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The vehicle, which Mariam Kighenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu were in, slid off from the MV Harambee ferry.

It took 13 days to locate the car and retrieve the bodies. The recovery involved a team from South Africa.