This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
On Christmas Eve, 2019, a devastating car crash claimed the lives of five people along the Buyangu-Ekero highway at Liondwa bridge in Mumias. The accident occurred at around 5 am, leaving a trail of destruction and grief in its wake.
Simon Oriaro, a 40-year-old businessman, was driving his family of six and four other neighbors from Nairobi to their rural home for the holidays. Tragically, Oriaro, his wife, and their 10-year-old daughter were among the five people killed in the accident.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road before hitting guard rails on the bridge. Joshua Makokha, a witness, described the scene as 'a loud bang at the river' with a vehicle near the river with blood all over.
Locals and the police rescued five passengers and rushed them to St Mary's Mission Hospital in Mumias. The injured passengers, aged between three and 10 years, are still receiving treatment in the hospital.
The news of the deaths plunged Siribo village in Butula Sub County into mourning. The family of the fifth casualty had not been informed or identified by the time of going to press.
