Simon Kea was one of the 10 people who were rescued from the ill-fated bus that drowned in the flooded waters of River Enziu The survivor narrated that the driver was hesitant to cross the river but he was under pressure from the passengers who were worried about getting late for the wedding However, the unthinkable happened when the bus was moving across the river as it landed in a ditch and sunk.
As the country reels from shock hours after the horrendous Mwingi accident, a survivor has narrated why the driver took the risky decision to drive across the raging River Enziu waters which swallowed them in an instant. The survivor said the driver was under pressure to cross the river.
Photo: UGC. Source: UGC The accident occurred at around 1.30pm on Saturday, December 4, after the passengers, who were going to a wedding, drowned in River Enziu after the bus fell into the river. READ ALSO Mwingi: 15 of 23 River Enziu Casualties Are Members of Same Family Speaking to the Sunday Nation, a survivor, who was one of the 10 people who were rescued by the locals said he and his fellow passengers stood beside the river for hours waiting for the waters to subside. It then became apparent that the water level was not going down and with the clock ticking, the passengers, who included Catholic church choir members pressured the driver to drive across the river.
According to the survivor, Simon Kea, a nurse, the driver was hesitant but he bowed to the pressure of the travellers who were concerned they were getting late to the wedding. "Minutes before, two matatus, and some tractors had successfully moved across the water and this made the group believe that it was safe to cross the river," a shaken Kea said.
READ ALSO Mwingi Accident: Raila, Ruto Condole with Bereaved Families, Urge Motorists to Be Extra Cautious.
According to the now-viral video, the bus almost made it to the other side only that it landed in a ditch and in seconds, it sunk, with a few travellers making it out alive. Rescue operations began immediately and by Saturday night, more than 20 bodies had been retrieved. Family members It also emerged that 15 people were reportedly members of the same family including Jane Mutua, the daughter of the bridegroom and her three children. Confirming the tragedy, Mwingi East sub-county police commander Joseph Yakan said local residents managed to rescue 10 passengers from the incident. At the time of filing this report, more than 30 people, including the St Cecilia Catholic church members were still unaccounted for. The driver also died in the tragedy. Read more: https://www.tuko.co.ke/kenya/counties/435903-mwingi-accident-survivor-says-passengers-pushed-driver-cross-river-reach-wedding-time/