Bodies of Naivasha tragedy victims moved to Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi

Members of the public at the scene where a vehicle burst into flames after hitting other vehicles at Karai, Naivasha. (Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard)

The bodies of 39 people who were killed in the Saturday night accident in Naivasha were moved to Chiromo Mortuary in Nairobi for preservation.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery asked relatives and friends of the victims to visit the mortuary to help in identifying the remains.

Most of the victims were burnt beyond recognition.

“So far, Government and other agencies have removed bodies from the scene and efforts are underway to transfer the bodies to Chiromo Mortuary for identification,” said Nkaissery.

Officers from DCI’s criminal registry led by the head Patrick Ndunda were at the mortuary to begin the process of identifying the bodies. Others were from Government Chemists.

The bodies are in bad state as some had only bones, which would take longer to identify. Initially authorities had collected 33 bodies from the scene but six more bodies were recovered from a wreckage at the scene Sunday afternoon.

There were fears the toll would rise. The officials will be forced to resort to DNA tests to identify the victims.

Nkaissery said the government has already initiated an inquiry to establish all the circumstances surrounding the accident.

“As this is a national tragedy we appeal to all Kenyans to remain sensitive to the feelings of families affected, and refrain from posting images of the scene on the social media. Investigations are now underway to ascertain further details concerning the cause of the accident including the substances being carried aboard the canter which are as of now unconfirmed.”

Nkaissery appealed to all road users to be cautious as they drive to various destinations to avoid accidents in this festive season.