At least 48 people have died following a catastrophic road accident involving a truck carrying a shipping container and eight other vehicles.
The deadly incident happened on Friday evening, June 30, in southwest Kenya.
The truck was travelling through the Londiani Junction on a stretch of the highway linking Nakuru, Kenya’s third largest city, to the town of Kericho, when its driver reportedly lost control and rammed several minibuses, private vehicles and motorcycles.
The truck, which landed in a ditch, also crashed into roadside sellers.
Harrowing pictures from the scene of the incident show the wreckage of several vehicles laying alongside the possessions of the traders and other drivers.
Emergency services can be seen working on the scenes, searching among the metal and helping survivors.
Rift Valley regional commissioner Abdi Hassan said overnight a number of victims had died on their way to hospital, while rescue services were working to free two bodies trapped at the scene.
Some 30 people, he added, were left injured by the horrific crash.
A driver named Peter Otieno recalled narrowly avoiding being hit by the truck when the tragedy struck.
He told the Nation.Africa: “I was driving to Nairobi from Kendy Bay when I saw the truck hurtling down with the driver struggling to control it.
“I swerved to the left as I was climbing uphill, and the driver of the car that was behind me tried to overtake but was knocked by the truck.”
Mr Otieno added the car hit was thrown off the road before landing on a ditch, while the truck went on to crash into other cars before overturning and eventually resting off the road.
Speaking only a few hours after the incident had happened, Londiani police boss Agnes Kunga said “dozens” of people had been rushed to various local hospitals as a result of the “very bad accident”.
She added: “Several people are feared dead while others are trapped in the wreckage in the pile-up”.
