At least five people have been killed and eight others seriously injured in a grisly road accident at Athi River, about 35 km east of Nairobi, police confirmed on Saturday.
Machakos Police County Commander Gideon Amalla said the accident happened on Friday night when a 14-seater minibus which was evading traffic along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa highway plunged into the river.
"I can confirm five deaths and eight casualties. We have rushed the injured to the Athi River hospital. The cause of the accident is yet to be established but investigations have been launched."
Police have launched investigations to establish the cause of the accident. Initial investigations revealed the minibus was overtaking several vehicles and later tried to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming truck and landed into the ditch, making it difficult to rescue those trapped.
The local police commander said the deceased included a baby and two women while those injured also included a nine-month child who is recuperating in the hospital.
Road accidents still continue to occur despite stringiest traffic rules which were introduced by the government to help curb road carnage. The regulations have helped reduce the number of fatalities caused by road accidents.
Under the new rules which also banned night travel, the vehicle operators are also supposed to subscribe to an accident and emergency mutual aid system.