Kenya official says 17 dead after bus plunges into river

NAROK, Kenya – A Kenyan official says a bus has plunged into the Siyapei River, causing the deaths of 17 passengers and seriously injuring four people.

Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya said Tuesday that 43 passengers survived with minor injuries after the bus ran off the Narok-Mai Mahiu road about 130 Kilometers (80miles) west of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. The bus was travelling from Kendu Bay in western Kenya to Nairobi.

Siyapei resident Jackson Sempele says the bus driver was trying to avoid hitting a truck that had pulled out onto the highway from a quarry.

Road accidents in Kenya result in about 3,000 deaths every year.