Eleven people were killed in Kenya today when the driver of an overloaded minibus lost control of the vehicle which rolled over and landed in a ditch, traffic police said.
The vehicle, known as a matatu, was travelling from Sirare on the Tanzanian border to the port city of Kisumu when the accident took place.
"Officers collected eight bodies at the scene. Unfortunately three others passed on while being rushed to the hospital," said traffic official Andrew Naibei.
Local police commissioner Mohammed Maalim said the minibus was carrying too many passengers "and we expect a thorough investigation (into) how such an overloaded matatu could travel all the way from Sirare," he said.
According to Kenya's traffic department, some 3,000 people die annually on the country's roads, which are clogged with trucks and other vehicles whose drivers often carry out dangerous manoeuvres to pass each other on busy sections.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) believes the figure could be as high as 12,000.
In December a tanker carrying flammable materials ploughed into 11 vehicles, causing a fireball that left over 40 dead.
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