Eleven students were killed when a bus carrying university students collided with a truck. 10 students died on the spot. At least 40 people were seriously injured. The victims are students of Kenyatta University, the top higher education institution in the African country of Kenya.
The accident happened on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway in Maungu region, 360 kilometers from the capital Nairobi, at around 5pm local time on Monday (March 18). The students were traveling by bus to the coastal city of Mombasa.
Police said that 10 students died on the spot. Another person died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. 42 others were seriously injured.
According to the police report, the driver of the university bus was overtaking several vehicles. It was raining heavily at that time. At one point the bus lost control and skidded off the right side of the road. The truck coming from the other side hit the left side of the bus to avoid a head-on collision. At least 60 students were on the bus.
The injured were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Bhoi. The Kenya Red Cross has reported this information.
Road accidents are a daily occurrence in this African country. Road management there is quite poor and incidents of breaking and disregarding traffic laws are also a regular occurrence.
According to data provided by Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority, an average of 3,500 people die in the country every year. Last year, 4 thousand 323 people were killed and 18 thousand 561 injured in road accidents in the country. But at the beginning of this year, this rate increased a lot.