TWO Australians are dead after a tourist truck rolled and crashed into a river on a notorious stretch of road in Kenya.
The truck, which was taking the group to the popular Masai Mara game reserve, overturned outside Nairobi on Sunday night, rolling down a steep embankment and landing on its roof in a shallow river.
Local police said the two killed are a man and a woman in their 60s.
One of the tourists died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries at Narok County Referral Hospital, Narok County Administration Police Commander Paul Kerich told the Standard.
Three other tourists — an Australian, a Briton and a German — sustained serious head injuries and were transferred to a hospital in the capital Nairobi after the tour bus carrying 22 passengers and three local staff crashed through guard rails in Kenya’s Narok County, Reuters reported.
Traumatic ... passengers from the bus crash were taken to Narok Hospital for treatment. Picture: Narok County Government Source: Supplied
Initial reports said an elderly Australian woman had died at the scene and 25 other people, including 14 Australians, had been taken to hospital with injuries including fractures and head wounds.
In a statement, Australian-based adventure travel group Intrepid Travel confirmed the incident involved one of its trucks.
“Unfortunately there have been two Australian fatalities confirmed,” the statement said.
“Next of kin are being advised by the Australian High Commission.”
Wounded .... 25 people, including 14 Australians, had been taken to hospital with injuries. Picture: Narok County Government Source: Supplied
James Thornton, managing director of Intrepid Travel, said: “Our first concern is with those affected and their friends and families. Senior managers from our operations team in Kenya are assisting passengers and staff involved.
“Intrepid Travel’s co-founder Geoff Manchester will be departing for Nairobi today to provide support and assistance for travellers and our ground team.”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed consular officials in Nairobi are assisting the families of the dead and injured.
“It’s awful beyond belief for the families of all of those involved,” Mr Abbott said today.
Four of the injured have since been released from hospital.
Police at the scene reported that the cause of the accident was almost certainly a tyre blow out on a steep downhill section of the road, causing the vehicle to lose control.
Police reports suggest that the tyre blow out is likely to have been caused by something on the road, rather than due to poor tyre conditions.
Kerich told the Standard “the area is a renowned black spot”.
The group was travelling from Kenya to Tanzania on a trip that departed on September 6. The accident occurred near Narok, whilst transiting between Nairobi and Kisi.
The accident scene is just 3km away from where 42 people lost their lives in August last year after a bus heading to Sori plunged into a valley.
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