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Three people perished in a tragic road accident along the Kericho- Mau Summit road on Saturday evening.
The accident involved a total of five vehicles including a fourteen-seater matatu that was ferrying passengers towards Kericho and an oil tanker that was heading in the opposite direction.
According to Kericho Traffic Enforcement Officer Selina Chirchir, the two vehicles collided head-on at Kapmakaa area along the busy highway at around 3:45 pm.
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She noted that the driver of the oil tanker lost control of the vehicle, ramming into the matatu before hitting three other cars that were behind the matatu.
READ: Why Nithi Bridge is one of Kenya's deadliest road sections [Video]
“The driver of the oil tanker lost control of the vehicle and hit the matatu head on causing it to roll,” Chirchir confirmed.
Several rushed to Kericho County Referral Hospital
Three people were confirmed dead on the spot with several others rushed to hospital.
Among the dead were a woman and two men with the injured rushed to Kericho County Referral Hospital for treatment by good Samaritans and other road users who were among the first to arrive at the scene.
The drivers of the vehicles escaped without injuries.
Investigations have been launched to establish the cause of the accident with road users urged to observe traffic rules.
Tragic accidents and deaths reported this week
A surge in tragic road accidents has been reported across the country with several lives lost even as state agencies rush to reverse the trend.
Earlier this week, a devastating road accident claimed the lives of nine people at Koguta on the Londiani-Muhoroni road.
The tragic incident occurred when a 14-seater Public Service Vehicle collided head-on with a lorry, leaving the matatu extensively damaged, with its windows shattered and pieces of glass scattered across the road.
Last weekend, twelve people perished in a tragic accident at the notorious Nithi Bridge.
The casualties were coming from a a parental blessing ceremony in Meru when the vehicle in which they were travelling in collided head-on with another one heading in the opposite direction.
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Tharaka Nithi County Police Commander Zacchaeus Ng'eno confirmed the accident, noting that the driver was not well-versed with the road.
"So far, we are confirming that we have collected 12 bodies from this scene and two others injured. This accident involved two motor vehicles, one was headed towards Nairobi and the other towards Meru," Ng'eno stated.