As of press time residents have vowed not to board the feted buses which forms the majority of Eastlands' transport means.
The puzzle as to how the 31-seater town bound Ummoiner bus' driver failed to double check and notice the oncoming train boggles many.
The driver and the conductor of the bus escaped unhurt raising more questions. It's said the bus was competing to overtake another bus which was ahead,despite being stopped by the police,the unruly driver speed off and the unbelievable happened,he didn't check on the side at the train's interjection point,the bus mysteriously stopped at the train interjection point and engine failed to starts. By then the speedingtrain was coming red lights and because of nature mechanisms of no emergency break,it rammed into the bus which was loaded with 31 passengers and it emerges more passengers were standing.
However before the fatal ramming the driver and conductor jumped out on sensing the danger leaving the rest to be crushed. The bus was pushed along the line 200metres away crushing it into pieces,running and smashing bodies,people who were standing along the line were not spared and swept away with the tragic flow.
Though red Cross and police records place the fatalities at 11 an eyewitness talking to NE says there were more "I saw countless bodies,i'm not sure of the number but they are more than that,people were smashed like minced meat with body parts scattered all over. This is a horrible scene to think of"
A man and his wife who were in their saloon car waiting to cross weren't spared either and were unfortunately crashed too.
Key questions arising,was this a negligence case or accident? The train normally hoots like kilometres away before reaching the Mutindwa interjection to warn the traders and any car coming. How the driver failed to hear the loud hooting remains a puzzle. The bus conductor told the press that the music inside the bus was too loud to hear the hooting. But one asks before crossing the railway line why didn't the driver check to make the way was clear before crossing.
A frequent Ummoiner commuter tells NE,"the music in those buses is deafening,the drivers are ever speeding,i'm told they were racing and didn't bother to check the oncoming train,i'm not surprised they've crossed that place without opening eyes."
A cop who was just meters away from the accident scene says,"this boy(driver) is unruly he came in high speed,I waved him to stop but ignored throwing hand at me,few seconds later he killed people" says the cop.
In your own observation who is to blame in this and was it accident or negligence? Suggest possible solutions
source: Nairobi exposed
