A multi-vehicle crash on the highway leading to the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa killed 17 people on Saturday, most of them pilgrims heading to a place of prayer, officials said. The accident in the Salama area occurred after midnight when a truck driver unsuccessfully tried to overtake another truck, police said. This caused a collision with vehicles, including a van carrying pilgrims, the AP reports; The driver of the van and 16 passengers, most of them women, died instantly, police said.
The pilgrims were heading to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. In a statement, the archbishop said he and others were “saddened by much grief.” Road accidents are a problem across Africa. In Kenya and elsewhere in the region, accidents are often blamed on poorly maintained vehicles, excessive speed and poor road conditions. The National Transport and Safety Authority has called on all motorists to exercise extreme caution, avoid dangerous overtaking and strictly adhere to lane discipline. The government agency said the area where the accident occurred was a so-called black spot and recommendations had been made to address safety concerns.
Gn world
