Passengers escape death as Tahmeed bus catches fire

TAITA, KENYA: Scores of passengers’ cheated death after a bus they were traveling in caught fire along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway in Taita-Taveta County on Tuesday evening.

The fire outbreak occurred at Manyani trading centre near Voi town. Manyani area is regarded as one of the major black spots in the country.

Traffic officers said the bus belonging to Tahmeed Bus Company Limited with 42 passengers on board was headed to Nairobi from Mombasa when the incident occured.

Voi Traffic Base Police Commander Michael Murithi said the driver of the bus saw smoke emanating from the gearbox and packed it along the highway.

The traffic boss said all the passengers escaped unhurt as the bus was engulfed in smoke.

Briefing The Standard on the fire incident, Murithi said the cause of the fire was still unknown. He said investigations into the incident had been launched.

“All the passengers in the bus managed to escape from the burning bus,” said the Traffic officer.

The incident comes at a time when cases of vehicles especially buses and long distance trucks hit by fire outbreaks along the highway continue to rise.