Nairobi, Kenya—Five people died Saturday afternoon when an overloaded commuter van suffered a sudden tire blowout, lost control, and flipped multiple times along a busy highway outside Nairobi.
The vehicle was carrying passengers well beyond its legal capacity when the rear tire shredded at high speed on the asphalt arterial route. The driver lost steering control, causing the top-heavy van to swerve across lanes and roll violently onto its side.
National police traffic officers, county fire brigades, and multiple Red Cross ambulance units rushed to the chaotic scene. First responders utilized manual cutting tools to extract passengers trapped underneath the crushed cabin framework.
Paramedics confirmed that five occupants sustained fatal blunt-force trauma and died before reaching a hospital. Dozens of other injured travelers were rushed to regional trauma centers with severe fractures and lacerations.
National Transport and Safety Authority officials arrived at the crash site to inspect the shredded tire and review vehicle compliance logs. Investigators noted that chronic overloading and worn-out tires continue to drive high fatality rates on Kenyan intercity routes.
Police cleared the wrecked vehicle from the highway lanes as evening commuter traffic backed up for kilometers. Authorities renewed warnings against commercial operators flouting passenger capacity limits and maintenance mandates.
Families of the victims began gathering at the municipal mortuary as identification procedures commenced. Transport police maintained a heavy patrol presence along the corridor to manage slow-moving vehicular flow.
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