At Least 51 People Killed in Road Accident in Western Kenya, 32 Injured

A police officer stands to secure the scene of an accident where a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, at an open market and a bus stop, at the Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho highway, in Kericho county, Kenya July 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A police officer stands to secure the scene of an accident where a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, at an open market and a bus stop, at the Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho highway, in Kericho county, Kenya July 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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At Least 51 People Killed in Road Accident in Western Kenya, 32 Injured

A police officer stands to secure the scene of an accident where a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, at an open market and a bus stop, at the Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho highway, in Kericho county, Kenya July 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A police officer stands to secure the scene of an accident where a lorry carrying a shipping container veered off the road and ploughed into several vehicles, at an open market and a bus stop, at the Londiani Junction along the Nakuru-Kericho highway, in Kericho county, Kenya July 1, 2023. (Reuters)

A truck rammed into several other vehicles and market traders in western Kenya killing at least 51 people, police said.

The Friday evening accident occurred at a location known for vehicle crashes near the Rift Valley town of Londiani, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.

Officers at the scene counted 51 bodies, but more people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, Rift Valley police commander Tom Odera told The Associated Press.

The Kenya Red Cross Society said on Saturday 32 people were injured and hospitalized, and asked Kenyans to donate blood. It also said heavy rainfall interrupted rescue efforts and people were still trapped in wrecked vehicles.

Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen visited the scene on Saturday morning and said the government would relocate markets away from the highways to prevent such future accidents.

President William Ruto tweeted a condolence message to bereaved families describing the accident as “distressing” and urging motorists to be “extra cautious.”

Witnesses quoted by local media said the truck veered off the major highway and hit several vehicles before hitting pedestrians and traders. Witnesses shared photos of the vehicle wreckages mangled beyond recognition.

Police had said on Friday rescue operations would continue into the night.

The Kenyan Red Cross Society said they have set up stations at hospitals where people can report loved ones still missing and are providing psychological support to those affected.



Iranian President Arrives in Moscow for Treaty Signing with Putin

In this handout picture taken on January 16, 2025 and released by press service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting with Tajik President in Dushanbe. (Handout / Press Service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan / AFP)
In this handout picture taken on January 16, 2025 and released by press service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting with Tajik President in Dushanbe. (Handout / Press Service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan / AFP)
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Iranian President Arrives in Moscow for Treaty Signing with Putin

In this handout picture taken on January 16, 2025 and released by press service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting with Tajik President in Dushanbe. (Handout / Press Service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan / AFP)
In this handout picture taken on January 16, 2025 and released by press service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting with Tajik President in Dushanbe. (Handout / Press Service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan / AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the signing of a strategic partnership treaty between the two countries, Russia's TASS state news agency reported.

Pezekshian, on his first Kremlin visit since winning the presidency last July after the death in a helicopter crash of his predecessor, is due to hold talks with Putin focusing on bilateral ties and international issues before signing the treaty.

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the US, such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war, and has strategic pacts with Pyongyang and close ally Belarus, as well as a strategic partnership agreement with China.

The 20-year Russia-Iran agreement, which will include provisions for closer defense cooperation, is likely to worry the West which sees both countries as malign influences on the world stage.

Moscow and Tehran say their increasingly close ties are not directed against other countries.

Russia has made extensive use of Iranian drones during the war in Ukraine and the United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran denies supplying drones or missiles.

The Kremlin has declined to confirm it has received Iranian missiles, but has acknowledged that its cooperation with Iran includes "the most sensitive areas".

Putin met Pezekshian on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan in October and on the sidelines of a cultural forum in Turkmenistan the same month.

Pezekshian is accompanied to Moscow by his oil minister and Western sanctions on the sector are likely to be discussed.