12 Killed in Accident at Nithi Bridge

Twelve people have died after being involved in a nasty road crash in the Nithi Bridge area, Tharaka Nithi County. 

Among the fatalities were two minors; the others were eight female and two male adults.

Tharaka Nithi police commander Zaccheus  Ng'eno confirmed the accident.

The accident involved a Nairobi-bound hired private Toyota Hiace and a Toyota Hilux driven toward Chogoria.

"It is another dark evening that we have had an accident. We are confirming that we have collected 12 bodies from the scene, and two others injured," said Ng'eno.

The county police boss said the tragic crash involved two vehicles headed to Nairobi and Meru.

Ng'eno said the driver behind the Nairobi-bound vehicle was not conversant with the road and thus swerved off its lane to collide with the oncoming car headed to Meru. 

"Preliminary investigations show that the motor vehicle coming from the Meru had not regularly used this road. We may assume that the driver did not take to his lane as expected hence the head-on collision," said Ng'eno.

The two survivors who cheated death with injuries of varied degrees were rushed to hospitals in Chogoria and Chuka.

The police boss called on the motorists to exercise extreme care, especially when navigating new routes.

Tharaka Nithi County Fire and Rescue Department official Alex Mugambi also confirmed the accident.

Mugambi cautioned members of the public against milling around accident scenes, as this would make rescue efforts difficult and increase the chances of more accidents.

The occupants of the Hiace were headed for Nairobi after attending a friend's event in Meru.