Lorry rams into shops killing one person, injuring three

One person died on the spot while three others were seriously injured after a bizarre accident in which an unmanned lorry rammed into shops at Ortum Market along the Kitale-Lodwar highway on Friday evening.

The accident happened when the truck, transporting goods from Kapenguria to Lodwar, started moving after the driver had left it and visited the nearby shops. The lorry, which was probably still in gear then moved, hitting one van from behind before crashing into nearby shops.

Confirming the incident, West Pokot County Police base commander Elijah Teeka said the person who died was inside the shop and he was trapped under the rubble.

He said three others were injured and are recuperating at Ortum Mission Hospital.

He added that police officers are searching for the driver who escaped after the accident.

"We are doing investigations to determine what caused the accident but we suspect it was caused by brake failure the lorry has been moved to Ortum Police post." He said.

According to the eye witness who survived narrowly, Mr. Moses Kodeny who is ward administrator for Turkwel special ward said that they were in the Nissan vehicle and escaped death narrowly.

He called on the government to erect bumps on the road to help stop speeding drivers.

“We were surprised the lorry knocking our vehicle. We tried to open doors but were defeated. in the process of getting out through the window, our vehicle got an impact. The vehicle diverted direction,” he said.

Traders on the market who are counting huge loses said that the many deaths caused by accidents have been reported in the place because of the steepness of the road calling on the government to redesign the road.