Disasters & Accidents

At least 24 dead, 12 rescued after bus plunges into river in Kenya

Nairobi, Dec 5 (EFE).- At least 24 people lost their lives when a bus carrying passengers to a wedding fell off a bridge into the Enzíu River in central Kenya, authorities said.

The accident occurred Saturday night when the driver tried to steer the vehicle through a flooded section of a bridge on river Enziu in the Mwingi town of Kitui county, about 200 km from Nairobi.

The bus was hit by raging waters and swept into the river, The Star newspaper reported, citing a video of the accident.

It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the 54-seater bus.

Fifteen of the dead are members of the same family who were going to attend a wedding of a couple aged over 70 years, the newspaper reported.

The wedding got subsequently canceled after the tragedy.

Rescuers saved at least four children and eight adults.

The authorities fear that the death toll may rise when search operations resume on Sunday, as some passengers were inside the submerged vehicle.

“I am going to put a lot more pressure on the national government to complete this bridge because this bridge has truly caused a lot of pain,” said Governor Charity Ngilu.

Ngilu sent condolences to the families of the deceased.

The governor said the Kenyan air force shifted the to the morgues in Mwingui and Kyso, another nearby town.

In 2018, four people died after the vehicle they were traveling in was washed away by the Enziu River in Kitui County.

Their bodies were recovered three weeks later. EFE

nbi-mrgz/ssk

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