Family loses three people in car crash which claimed five

**Locals talk to police officers at the scene where five people died and five others got injured in a car crash along the Buyangu-Ekero highway at River Liondwa on the morning of December 24, 2019.** [Brian Kisanji, Standard]

A man, his wife and their 10-year-old daughter were among five people killed in an accident in Mumias yesterday.

Simon Oriaro, 40, was driving the car, which had 10 passengers when the accident occurred at around 5 am along the Buyangu - Ekero highway at Liondwa bridge.

Oriaro, a businessman, was driving his family of six and four other neighbours from Nairobi to their rural home for the Christmas holidays. Oriaro, his wife, child, and two other men died on the spot. News of their deaths plunged their Siribo village in Butula Sub County into mourning.

Also in the car were Oriaro’s three other children who were injured and are still receiving treatment in the hospital. They are aged between three and 10 years.

The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road before hitting guard rails on the bridge.

“We heard a loud bang at the river. Some of us rushed there only to find a vehicle near the river with blood all over,” said Joshua Makokha, a witness.

Locals and the police rescued five passengers and rushed them to St Mary’s Mission Hospital in Mumias.

Oriaro's uncle, Geoffrey Kweyu was the first person a Good Samaritan called to inform him of the early morning accident.

Kweyu said he informed other families whose members were involved in the accident before heading to the scene.

Another family mourning their son is that of Ferdinad Otieno, 24, who had just graduated from the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. He was among those killed. Otieno had gone to Niarobi three weeks ago to look for a job. He was planning to wed early next year.