Truck driver and loader die in Ntulele accident

A driver and his loader were Wednesday morning burned beyond recognition after a truck lost control and its cabin caught fire at the notorious Ntulele black spot along the Narok-Mai Mahiu road.

Narok police boss Paul Leiting said the two died on the spot after the truck that was ferrying keg beer to western Kenya hit guard rails erected on the left side of the road and the cabin caught fire.

“The truck was descending the steep stretch of Pinyiny hills when it lost control and drove straight past the rail guards and onto a wall built to prevent vehicles from plunging into a deep gorge and it burst out into flames,” said Mr Leiting.

Mr Leiting added that the two were trapped in the cabin and were burned beyond recognition during the 3 a.m. incident.

BLACK SPOT

Mr Leiting said the accident happened at the same black spot that claimed more than 100 lives in 2013 in different accidents.

“We are yet to establish what happened since there were no eye witnesses, but the spot is a known black spot with no road signs erected to warn drivers of the sharp bend in the middle of the downward stretch” said Mr Leiting.

He said the night ban imposed on public service vehicles had drastically reduced the number of accidents on the road, saying police would remain vigilant especially during the day when there is heavy traffic along the road.

The accident happened at the same spot where 41 people perished when a Migori-bound City-to-City company bus crashed after it lost control in September 2013.

Last month, four people died on the spot when a saloon car collided head on with a truck at the accident-prone Duka Moja area on the same road.