22 Churchgoers dead, 24 injured as bus collides with lorry

At least 22 people have been killed and 24 others injured after a bus carrying churchgoers returning from a funeral collided with a lorry on Kenya’s main highway, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.

The crash occurred between 7am and 8am on Sunday along the highway linking Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with the coastal city of Mombasa.

According to The Sun, the bus was carrying mourners returning to Mombasa after attending the funeral of their church pastor in western Kenya when the collision occurred.

Hospital official Paul Kisienya confirmed that at least 24 people sustained injuries, while Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif warned that the number of fatalities could increase.

Photographs from the scene showed the wrecked bus overturned beside the road, with part of the vehicle torn away by the impact.

The cause of the crash remains unclear, although conflicting preliminary accounts have emerged regarding how the collision happened.

A passenger, Spenza Mudave, said a lorry struck the bus from behind, causing the heavily occupied vehicle to overturn.

However, Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority reportedly said the incident may have resulted from improper overtaking, stating that the vehicles collided head-on.

The authority also identified the affected stretch of road as an accident black spot, adding that recommendations had previously been made to address safety concerns.

Hospital superintendent Dr Kevin Wamalwa described the incident as a serious accident.

The tragedy has left families desperately seeking information about relatives who were aboard the bus.

Violet Mwandonyi, a mother of two, told The Sun that she did not know whether her children had survived the crash. She said the passengers had stopped for breakfast in a nearby town shortly before the incident.

“The last thing I remember is that we were all wailing and calling on motorists to come to our rescue,” she said.

The accident occurred just weeks after another multiple-vehicle collision on the same highway killed 17 people. That incident involved four vehicles, including a van carrying pilgrims, with brake failure reportedly identified as a likely cause by Kenya’s road safety authorities.

Poor road conditions and speeding have also previously been cited as contributing factors in road accidents across the country.

Rescue and medical teams responded to Sunday’s crash, while officials continued to assess the casualties and circumstances surrounding the collision.