Mbooni east: Six people perished, and seven others were admitted to hospital in critical condition following a grisly accident that occurred along Ngoluni-Tawa Road in Mbooni East Sub-county yesterday evening.

According to Kenya News Agency, the Friday 6pm accident occurred at Ngoluni market when the driver of a lorry lost control and hit a 14-seater matatu from the rear, killing the victims on the spot. Speaking to KNA on Saturday morning, Mbooni East Subcounty Police Commander, Ephraim Karani, disclosed that the critically injured were first rushed to Kisau Health Centre before being transferred to Makueni County Referral Hospital for further treatment.

Among the deceased were two middle-aged women between the ages of 30 and 40, a young man believed to be a student from a local secondary school, two girls aged 9 and 3 years, and a 5-year-old boy. The survivors of the accident were critically injured, suffering from head, hand, and leg injuries. They included an elderly man aged 43, a woman aged 40, three boys aged between 15 and 18, and two children aged between 3 and 5 years.

An infant aged between 7 to 9 months escaped unhurt, and the whereabouts of the mother are yet to be known. Authorities have attributed the accident to overspeeding by the lorry, with the driver having disappeared from the scene. Police are actively searching for him to bring him to justice.

The police commander has urged drivers to exercise caution and avoid reckless driving or driving under the influence of alcohol, especially during the approaching festive season. He emphasized the need for motorists to stop drunken and reckless driving to prevent the loss of innocent lives.

Ephraim Karani also called on police officers to remain alert and apprehend careless drivers who endanger the lives of commuters, ensuring they are arrested and prosecuted. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Tawa Funeral Home awaiting autopsy.