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BBC Pidgin of Saturday, 1 July 2023

Source: BBC

Kenyan lorry crash kill almost 50 pipo afta truck lose control

File foto File foto

At least 48 pipo don die for road accident for one busy junction for Kenya, police and witnesses say.

E happun afta one lorry wey carry a shipping container lost control for Londiani Junction, near di western town of Kericho, local media report.

Police commander Geoffrey Mayek say 30 odas dey seriously injured but add say di number "fit be more".

E also raise concerns say "one or two" pipo fit still dey trapped under di di overturned vehicle.

Tom Mboya Odero, anoda regional police commander, dey quoted by AFP news agency as saying di lorry wey dey travel towards Kericho "lost control and ram into eight vehicles, several motorcycles, pipo wey dey by di roadside, vendors, and oda pipo wey dey do dia businesses".

Eyewitnesses tok wetin dem see

Eye witnesses tell Kenyan media say di driver bin dey try avoid di one bus wey bin don break down on di road.

Kenyan president William Ruto say im dey distressed to hear say some of doz wey die killed na "young pipo wit a promising future and business pipo wey dey on dia way to do dia daily work".

"We urge motorists to dey extra cautious on roads, especially now wen we dey experience heavy rainfall," Oga Ruto add for im tweet.

One image circulate online wey show wetin appear to be a red shipping container wey on di side for di bottom of a small grassy bank, for di side of a road.

Di town govnor, Dr Erick Mutai, describe di incident as a "dark moment" for Kericho.

"My heart dey crushed," e tok for im Facebook post, alongside di foto of di container.

Dr Mutai add say di necessary emergency services bin don dey deployed to scene.

Toti be say rain dey delay di rescue operations, according to local reports, but e no clear if di weather play a part in di accident.

Road accidents na popular problem for East Africa, becos roads outside di bigger cities dey often narrow.

Di World Health Organisation tok on dia website last year say di continent as a whole get di highest road traffic fatality rate in di world.

Last year 34 pipo die for central Kenya wen dia bus fall off a bridge and enta into di Nithi River below.