Bus crash kills at least 40 in Western Kenya
What's the story
Over 40 have been killed in a bus accident in Western Kenya today. Zero Arome, Rift Valley Provincial Traffic Officer, said, "Reports reaching me are that more than 40 died on the spot but it could be more because the roof of the bus was ripped off." Another official who spoke from the scene in Western Kericho county, estimates the toll to be 42.
Information
Bus had 52 passengers aboard; immediate cause not known yet
Police said the bus was traveling from Nairobi to the Western town of Kakamega (363.7km apart) and was carrying 52 passengers. Kenyan Red Cross wrote on Twitter that the bus had overturned. However, more details on the cause of the accident were not immediately available.
Twitter Post
Kenya Red Cross says several casualties reported
Bus overturns at Fort Tenan near Kipkelion, several casualties reported. @EMS_Kenya ambulance team activated.
— Kenya Red Cross (@KenyaRedCross) October 10, 2018
Annual deaths
Kenya says 3,000 people die annually, WHO estimates 12,000
Official statistics show around 3,000 people die annually in road accidents in Kenya, but the WHO estimates the figure could be as high as 12,000. In December 2017, 36 people died in a head-on collision between a bus and a lorry. In 2016, over 40 people died when an out-of-control fuel tanker plowed into vehicles and then exploded on a busy stretch of highway.