Two SGR workers die after railway collapses in Naivasha

Contractors working on a section of the SGR

The extension of the Nairobi-Nakuru Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was temporarily paralysed on Monday after a section of it collapsed, killing two workers.

During the late afternoon incident near in Satellite Mai Mahiu, Naivasha, four other workers were seriously injured and rushed to hospital.

Emotions ran high among fellow workers as police moved in to collect the bodies before ferrying them to Naivasha sub-county hospital mortuary.

The victims had for the better part of the day been working on a section of the railway line when a culvert caved in, burying them alive.

According to a worker who declined to be named for fear of reprisal by the contractor, the particular section was weak following rains in the area in the past weeks.

The worker narrated how they heard a loud bang followed by screams and dust as the section caved in and buried the workers.

“They were six and we managed to retrieve four who were rushed to hospital but the other two had died before we could rescue them,” he said.

The worker said they did not have helmets and other protective gear while working on the culvert hence the fatalities.

“Had the contractor provided safety gear, the lives would have been saved. We challenge the Government to direct them to provide the same to us,” he said.

Mai Mahiu OCS Ezra Sambu confirmed the incident adding that plans were underway to transfer the injured workers to Kijabe Mission Hospital.

Started investigations

Mr Sambu said they had started investigations into the incident, adding that action would be taken if it was established that there was negligence.

“There was an incident where a section of the rail collapsed, killing two people and injuring four,” he said.