Provincial
Two killed in oil tanker crash
Nakuru Municipal fire fighters at the scene where a tanker and a trailer collided and burst into flames. The accident at Sachang’wan on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway left two people dead and one injured. Photo/JOSEPH KIHERI
Posted Sunday, February 7 2010 at 21:00
In Summary
- Two vehicles burst into flames after head-on collision at Sachang’wan
The curse of fiery road accidents involving oil carriers returned to Sachang’wan on Sunday when a tanker and trailer collided head-on and burst into flames killing two people.
Another person was seriously injured and was taken to a Nakuru hospital.
The accident would have been more catastrophic as another trailer ferrying maize nearly ploughed through hundreds of people who had gathered at the scene. It crashed just metres from the two burning vehicles.
Molo head of police Achesa Litabalia said the first trailer was transporting logs from Eldoret to Nakuru. The collision happened at around 7.30am.
Burning vehicle
The vehicles burst into flames on impact killing the two drivers. A third person believed to be the trailer loader jumped out of the burning vehicle and was taken to hospital.
“The trailer lost control as the driver was negotiating a hilly stretch on the road and collided head-on with the tanker which was ferrying diesel from the Nakuru Kenya Pipeline Company depot to western Kenya,” said Mr Litabalia.
Fire fighters from Nakuru Municipal Council and Timsales Timber Company put out the fire before recovering the charred bodies that were trapped in the cabins.
Sunday’s accident occurred less than five kilometres from the scene where 136 people died as they siphoned off petrol from a tanker that had overturned.
In Thika, two people died when a bus hit a matatu. Four others were taken to hospital following the accident at the Witeithie stage.
The matatu heading to Thika had stopped to pick up passengers when a Garissa-bound bus rammed it from the back.
Police said one of the dead was a passenger in the matatu while the other was about to board the vehicle.
In Rongo, a suspected bhang trafficker escaped death after the vehicle he was driving in overturned during a police chase. The man was transporting 2,400 stones of bhang valued at more than Sh1 million from Migori.
“The loaded car hit a pothole and overturned near Awendo Town,” said deputy district police boss Kiplangat Korir.
But the trafficker escaped from the wreckage and vanished into a nearby sugarcane plantation.
The vehicle and the drugs were taken to Migori police station.
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Submitted by whynotyouPosted February 08, 2010 10:59 PM
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Submitted by yesuwangu
Another remedy is construct one way roads on all main highways in the country.all cars travelling in one direction from mombasa to kisumu without meeting with on coming cars.
Posted February 08, 2010 04:27 PM -
Submitted by Isaya Baraza
To remedy such fatal accidents, the Goverment has to put bumps at the place. The trucks will slow down and even if an accident happens, it will not be serious nor fatal.
Posted February 08, 2010 02:34 PM -
Submitted by krugutt
There was a plan one time to construct pipelines for oil from Mombasa to NBI and to all other major towns – Nakuru,-Eldoret,-Kakamega,-and-Kisumu to avoid oil tankers destroying our roads and well as minimize the number of deadly accidents like a series that have occurred recently including this one. With a robust network of pipelines and computerized flow of oil/fuel and oil products, corruption that has been the hallmark of Kenya Pipeline will be effectively be brought to control. No more oil/fuel transported by road if we have to avoid a series of accidents that have characterized-our-roads.
Posted February 08, 2010 12:35 AM
RSS
a stitch in time saves nine (or more). If the government had fore-planned and built dual carriage highways as the minimum standard of major roads construction in the country, most of these avoidable wrecks could be avoided....and what's with the "public" everytime an accident happens, they crowd the scenes, endangering their lives even further...these are obviously very idle people. Our land hoarding politicians need to give up the huge chunks of land, and put these wananchi to work.