51 Passengers Narrowly Escape Death As Bus Is Swept By Floods

Rescue operations are in progress for passengers stranded on top of a bus swept away by floods on the Garissa-Nairobi highway in Kenya.

51 passengers aboard the bus en route to Nairobi narrowly avoided a tragic fate.

Tana River County Commander Ali Ndiema reported that the 51 individuals traveling on the Umma Express bus from Garissa to Nairobi at 11:30 pm were affected when the bus was carried away by floodwaters at Lager Areli.

Mr. Ndiema highlighted that the bus driver, Hassan Rage, disregarded advice from fellow drivers and attempted to navigate the flooded area, leading to the bus being swept away by the strong currents, ending up 50 meters away from the road.

“He took the risk and risked the lives of more than 50 people, which is an offence punishable by law,” he said.

However, the district police commander has confirmed that most of the passengers escaped unhurt and a rescue operation was underway for those stuck on the roof of the bus.

Mr Ndiema has called on drivers plying the Garissa-Nairobi route to be alert and avoid driving on flooded sections to avoid killing their passengers.

“These are sections that were broken during the El Niño and should be avoided at all costs when they are flooded so that we do not lose lives on this road,” he said.

The Kenya National Highways Authority has since issued a warning to commuters along the Garissa-Nairobi highway (A3) due to flooding in the Mororo area between Madogo and the Tana River Bridge.

According to KenHa, the flooding has affected one lane of the road, posing a high safety risk to road users.

Other roads currently being monitored by KenHa include the Garissa-Mombasa highway at Bilbil and Charidende in Tana River County, which were washed away by the El Niño floods.

The meteorological department has warned that heavy rainfall will occur in most places in the coming months.

This means most places will be flooded and calls for caution.