17 dead, scores injured in accident along Nairobi-Mombasa highway

At least 17 people have been confirmed dead and with several others admitted to hospital following a tragic road accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

The multiple-vehicle accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday when the driver of a lorry lost control of the vehicle after its brakes failed and rammed into several vehicles.

Witnesses recounted that a 14-seater matatu that was ferrying passengers to Subukia Shrine in Nakuru was among the vehicles involved in the accident that occurred shortly after midnight.

The pilgrims were from St Mathias Mulumba Catholic Parish in Mikindani, Mombasa, and were travelling to the Subukia National Shrine in Nakuru County for the National Prayer Day.

Good Samaritans joined emergency response teams and the police at the scene of the accident and rushed survivors to Sultan Hamud Sub County Hospital.

The bodies of the causalities were also moved to the morgue at the same facility with police launching investigations to establish the cause of the accident.

Photos taken at the scene of the crash show several vehicles damaged, including the wreckage of the matatu.

Following the tragedy, President William Ruto expressed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy, expressing his profound sorrow.

The postmortem examinations on the bodies of 17 people who perished in the tragedy are expected to be conducted on Sunday at Sultan Hamud Hospital in Makueni County.

The government has also pledged to support the transportation and burial arrangements for the deceased.