Five killed in Machakos matatu accident

Five people have died on the spot after a 14-seater matatu they were traveling in was involved in a grisly accident near Muumandu shopping centre along Machakos-Wote road.
13 others were admitted to Machakos level 5 referral hospital after sustaining serious multiple tissue injuries following the Wednesday evening deadly crash.
Machakos County Director of Emergency Services, David Mwongela who confirmed the incident told Standard Digital the ill-fated Nissan matatu trading under Maptra Sacco was over-speeding and had excess passengers on board at the time of the accident.

“On reaching the scene of the accident, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road and rolled several times killing the five on the spot,” he said.
He said a standby ambulance was called into the scene within minutes and ferried those injured to the hospital.

“Those injured were immediately picked by county ambulance and rushed to Machakos level 5 hospital where they are now being managed. We have been informed that they are now out of danger,” he said.
Mwongela noted that many road traffic accidents have been linked with recklessness and blatant failure by road users, particularly drivers to comply with safety regulations.

“Most of these accidents are caused by carelessness by drivers and disregard of traffic regulations. In this incident, a 14-seater matatu was over-speeding with a total of 19 people on board which is completely unacceptable,” Mwongela said.
Bodies of the deceased were taken to Machakos hospital mortuary while the wreckage of the vehicle was towed to Machakos police station.