Nine passengers perished Tuesday afternoon when a lorry collided head-on with a 14 seater matatu within Kisumu Ndogo area, along Muhoroni- Kipsitet Road in Kericho County.
According to Kericho County Police Commander Geoffrey Mayek, the collision happened after the lorry, make Mercedes Benz lost control and swerved onto the path of an oncoming Toyota matatu. Mayek confirmed that the impact of the crash resulted in the immediate death of the matatu driver and eight passengers while the driver of the lorry reportedly fled the scene.
He said the bodies were taken to St. Vincent Mission Hospital Mortuary in Muhoroni for identification and postmortem examinations while the extensively wrecked vehicles were towed to Kipsitet Police Station for further inspection.
Survivors who incurred serious injuries are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Kericho County. Witnesses at the scene claimed that the driver who was allegedly speeding, appeared to have been attempting to evade potholes on the road when the accident occurred.
The Police commander urged motorists to adhere strictly to the traffic regulations and drive with caution to avert such devastating accidents.