An Ambasa Coach bus travelling from Wajir to Nairobi was involved in a road accident in Mwingi, Kitui County, during the early hours of Wednesday after colliding with a ProBox taxi before catching fire.
The bus, which departed Wajir on Tuesday night, burst into flames shortly after the collision and was consumed by the fire, raising concerns about possible fatalities and injuries among passengers who were on board at the time.
Witnesses and first responders reported that the fire spread rapidly through the vehicle, leaving little chance of salvaging it. By the time emergency teams reached the scene, the bus had already sustained extensive damage, while rescue and recovery efforts were underway.
Authorities did not immediately confirm the number of people affected by the accident as security officers and emergency responders continued operations at the scene.
Officials were working to establish the circumstances that led to the crash and to account for all passengers who had been travelling in the bus.
The incident triggered an emergency response at Mwingi Level 4 Referral Hospital, where medical personnel were placed on standby to receive casualties. The facility activated its emergency response plan after receiving reports of what was initially feared to be a mass casualty incident.
Dr Mohamednur Maalim Ali, a medical officer at the hospital, said he responded to an alert shortly after 4:00 am after information about the accident reached the facility.
According to Dr Mohamednur, the condition of the patients who arrived at the hospital was better than initially expected, allowing the available medical team to handle the cases without requiring additional staff during the initial response.
“Alhamdulillah, the patients received had less severe injuries than expected and were managed with the team on duty,” he said.
The doctor said the hospital staff moved quickly to assess and treat the injured passengers as they arrived from the crash scene.
He noted that despite the response being managed successfully, the facility faced challenges linked to shortages of essential medical supplies needed during emergencies.
According to Dr Mohamednur, the hospital experienced shortages of intravenous giving sets and pain medication that are often required during the first stages of treatment for accident victims.
He said such gaps can affect the speed and efficiency of emergency care, particularly when hospitals are called upon to respond to incidents involving large numbers of casualties.
The medical officer said the accident underscores the need to strengthen emergency preparedness in health facilities located along major transport corridors.
He noted that hospitals should maintain adequate stocks of medicines, medical consumables and blood products to enable a faster and more effective response whenever mass casualty incidents occur.
Dr Mohamednur also commended the hospital staff for their efforts in responding to the emergency and attending to the injured passengers. He expressed hope that all those receiving treatment would recover fully.
Investigations into the cause of the accident were ongoing on Wednesday as authorities continued to gather information from the scene and account for all those involved in the crash.
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