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.



Bird Feathers, Blood Found in Both Engines of Crashed Jet in South Korea, Source Says

Firefighters remove tarpaulin sheets covering the debris of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, southwestern South Korea, 13 January 2025, following its crash on 29 December 2024. (EPA/Yonhap)
Firefighters remove tarpaulin sheets covering the debris of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, southwestern South Korea, 13 January 2025, following its crash on 29 December 2024. (EPA/Yonhap)
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Bird Feathers, Blood Found in Both Engines of Crashed Jet in South Korea, Source Says

Firefighters remove tarpaulin sheets covering the debris of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, southwestern South Korea, 13 January 2025, following its crash on 29 December 2024. (EPA/Yonhap)
Firefighters remove tarpaulin sheets covering the debris of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Muan, southwestern South Korea, 13 January 2025, following its crash on 29 December 2024. (EPA/Yonhap)

Investigators found bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air jet that crashed in South Korea last month, killing 179 people, a person familiar with the probe told Reuters on Friday.

The Boeing 737-800 plane, which departed from the Thai capital Bangkok for Muan county in southwestern South Korea, belly-landed and overshot the regional airport's runway, bursting into flames after hitting an embankment.

Only two crew members at the tail end of the plane survived the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.

About four minutes before the fatal crash, one of the pilots reported a bird strike and declared an emergency before initiating a go-around and attempting to land on the opposite end of the runway, according to South Korean authorities.

Two minutes before the pilot declared the Mayday emergency call, air traffic control had urged caution due to "bird activity" in the area.

Investigators this month said feathers were found on one of the engines recovered from the crash scene, adding that video footage showed there was a bird strike on an engine.

South Korea's transport ministry declined to comment on whether feathers and blood were found in both engines.

The plane's two black boxes - key to finding out the cause of last month's crash on the jet - stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, posing a challenge to the ongoing investigation.

Sim Jai-dong, a former transport ministry accident investigator, said on Sunday the missing data was surprising and suggested all power, including backup, may have been cut, which is rare.

Bird strikes that impact both engines are also rare occurrences in aviation globally, though there have been successful cases of pilots landing the plane without fatalities in such situations including the "Miracle on the Hudson" river landing in the US in 2009 and a cornfield landing in Russia in 2019.