NAIROBI: The death toll from a grisly road crash in western Kenya rose to 52 on Saturday, police said, as rescuers worked to clear the wreckage from one of the deadliest traffic accidents in the country in recent years.
A truck carrying a shipping container veered out of control and ploughed into multiple other vehicles and people thronging a busy road junction on Friday evening, plunging the nation into shock and mourning.
"The toll has risen to 52 after three more people succumbed to their injuries in hospital," local police commander Geoffrey Mayek said.
The disaster occurred at Londiani junction on a busy highway between the lakeside town of Nakuru and Kericho, an area known for its lush tea plantations.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told reporters during a visit to the site that new safety measures would be introduced after what he described as a "terrible" and "painful" tragedy.
"Investigations have been launched to establish the cause of this accident but we urge drivers to be cautious and follow the rules," he said, adding that the truck was believed to have been bound for Rwanda.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan said earlier that rescuers had resumed a search for victims believed trapped under the wreckage, but it was not known if the updated toll included bodies recovered from the site.
Hassan added that more than 30 people were injured when the truck rammed into private cars, minibuses, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) and market stalls at Londiani junction.
Kenyan station Citizen TV said the truck driver had died, but this could not be immediately confirmed independently.
Footage from the scene late Friday showed the mangled wreckage of multiple vehicles, doors torn off minibuses and motorbikes crushed into chunks of twisted metal, as rescuers worked in the dark under pouring rain.
On Saturday, large crowds of onlookers were at the scene, where the overturned container was stuck in a ditch, debris was strewn across a wide area, including car seats, piles of fruit, a damaged axel and even a lone black boot.
Kenyan leaders including President William Ruto expressed their condolences after the accident.
"The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones," Ruto said on his official Twitter page on Friday. — AFP
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