Three Mombasa County workers perish while clearing manhole
Three employees of the Mombasa County government lost their lives while attempting to unclog a manhole at the Makupa roundabout.
Three employees of the Mombasa County government lost their lives while attempting to unclog a manhole at the Makupa roundabout. According to an incident report, four others managed to escape with injuries by moving out of the drainage system, leaving the three men trapped inside the main drainage systems.
Efforts to rescue the victims are underway, with four exhauster trucks on site pumping rain-water out of the tunnel, assisted by the Kenya police. Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, who spoke at the scene, revealed that the three individuals drowned while trying to clear debris from the smaller drainage. Unfortunately, an influx of water occurred during the operation.
"We were able to get four people out and alive, but there are still three people that we are hoping we will be able to remove them, however, there is one more person who is currently down there. There is no other way to get there except a person has to go down," said Governor Abdulswamad.
The four individuals who were rescued were promptly rushed to the hospital, where they received treatment and are currently out of danger. Governor Abdulswamad expressed concerns about the challenges in reaching the individuals still trapped, noting the narrowness of the tunnel that extends all the way to the Indian Ocean. He mentioned that chances of their survival on the other side are slim.
The governor attributed the clogging of the tunnel to an engineering error by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). According to him, "The engineers came and looked at what was the cause of the problem and they found out that when KeNHA was doing the road, they basically built a drainage system on top of another existing drainage system." He emphasised that the narrow drainage, coupled with ongoing rains, worsen the situation.
Eye witnesses and concerned residents at the scene expressed shock and grief over the incident, calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the tragedy. Local residents urged authorities to prioritise safety measures in infrastructure projects to prevent such incidents in the future.
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