12 family members perish in Masii accident

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 5 – Twelve members of the same extended family were killed in a road accident on Saturday morning when the 14-seater matatu they were traveling in plunged into the Isibuni river in Masii, Machakos.

Machakos County Police Commander Gideon Amala told Capital FM News that the family was heading to Tawa in Mbooni, Makueni County for a traditional wedding ceremony when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

“The accident occurred at 6.30am. It’s not yet clear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle which fell 10 metres down, crashing into the river bed, but they had a mbuzi (goat) on board and crates of soda,” Amala said.

Two of the survivors were admitted in critical condition to the Machakos Level 5 Hospital and together with the deceased believed to be from Luyuni village in Kangundo.

Police had yet to pull the wreckage out and were still conducting investigations into what could have caused the accident.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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