Two people have been confirmed dead and eight others hospitalized after a fatal road accident involving a Tahmeed bus and a fuel tanker at Mundika a few kilometers from Busia town.
According to eyewitnesses, the tanker which was coming from Kisumu lost control while trying to overtake a Probox, and knocked the bus forcing it to overturn.
Passengers were quickly rescued from the bus which burst into flames after the tanker that was involved in the accident started to leak. The driver of the tanker and his core driver were the causalities in the accidents.
Busia County Commissioner Chaunga Mwachaunga noted that the rescue team respondent promptly managing to save lives and put off fire.
“This afternoon we received disheartening news of an accident which occurred at Mundika involving the Tahmeed Bus and a truck carrying fuel from Kisumu. We lost lives but luckily we managed to save six people who are nursing injuries at Busia County Referral Hospital,” noted CC Chaunga.
Busia County Referral Medical Superintendent Emma Namulala confirmed that the majority of the patients they received had multiple injuries but they have managed the situation.
However, one patient who had severe head injuries has been rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for specialized examination and treatment.
“We received a total of eight patients with multiple injuries. We did x-rays and examinations on the patients to ascertain the extent of the injuries, and upon examination, we have referred one patient to MTRH in Eldoret,” Dr. Namulala noted.
“Unfortunately, we lost the driver and his core driver who were in the truck,” she added.
Busia residents led by Mary Atieno have urged KeNHA to upgrade the status of the roads within the county owing to the fact that they are used by heavy trucks on a daily basis.
“The problem we have with both Busia-Kisumu and Eldoret-Malaba Highways is that both roads are narrow and they can no longer accommodate both trucks, motorbikes and pedestrians who use the road on a daily basis,” Atieno told the press.
“We are urging the government to dual these roads to mitigate accidents which have claimed many lives leaving others with permanent physical and psychological scars,” she added.
By Absalom Namwalo and Salome Alwanda
