Panic as bus misses ferry, almost plunges into the sea
A bus that missed the ferry ramp at the Likoni crossing in Mombasa and ended up in the sea on May 12, 2016. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI |
What you need to know:
- Travellers spent more than half an hour on queues before boarding any ferry.
- It is estimated that more than 300,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles cross the channel every day.
Panic gripped Likoni early Thursday morning when a bus almost plunged into the Indian Ocean after failing to get onto a ferry.
The bus, owned by Smart Company of Tanzania, was partly submerged in water for most of the morning.
Witnesses said passengers jumped out of the bus when it got stuck on the prows of the MV Likoni ferry.
The bus failed to reach the ferry and was left on the ramp. Fortunately, no one was injured in the 4am incident.
The stalling of the bus caused a massive traffic jam for part of the morning. Thousands of commuters were also stranded.
Travellers spent more than half an hour on queues before boarding any ferry.
Coxswains, on the other hand, struggled to dock the vessels on the mainland side since the bus had partly blocked the ramp.
MOTORISTS
Kenya Ferry Service Managing Director Bakari Gowa was at the site with other officers to control vehicles and residents at the busy channel.
However, he refused to say if there were passengers on the stricken bus.
“I have not received any information about passengers. If there were any, they must be those allowed on board, including the elderly, children and the sick,” Mr Gowa said, adding that a response team from the Navy had been called to pull the bus out.
Likoni OCPD Willy Simba, who was also at the scene, urged drivers of public service vehicles to follow traffic rules, warning that they would be prosecuted if they failed to do so.
Mr Simba said Likoni channel users need to abide by the rules to avert similar incidents.
“We call upon commuters and motorists to respect the KFS officials and traffic police officers controlling vehicles and pedestrians,” Mr Simba said.
“Safety is important and we have to be careful when it comes to following regulations at the channel.”
It is estimated that more than 300,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles cross the channel every day.
The withdrawal of the MV Harambee for maintenance in January has left only four vessels operating at the channel.
The four ferries — MV Likoni, MV Kwale, MV Nyayo and MV Kilindini — have been operating smoothly since then.
