1st LD Writethru: 5 killed, 59 injured in Kenya road accident

At least five people were killed and 59 others injured in a grisly road accident in eastern Kenya early Sunday.

Mbooni divisional police commander James Baraza said the accident occurred at Kikima area at the border of Machakos and Makueni counties at about 3:00 a.m. Sunday when bus belonging to a church lost control and veered off the road.

"Preliminary investigations show that the bus was speeding, an incident which might have caused the accident," Baraza said by telephone.

He said bodies of four women and a seven-year-old boy were recovered immediately after the accident, while 59 other passengers were injured in the accident.

The injured were rushed to the local hospital while those with minor injuries were treated at the nearby health centers and discharged, according to Mbooni.

Witnesses said all those killed are members of the same family or distant relatives because they were going back home after a bride price ceremony in neighboring Makueni County.

Local residents said the area where the accident occurred is a black spot where many accidents have occurred in the past. Enditem