At least 20 people lost their lives after a bus they were traveling in plunged into Enziu River, Nguni area in Mwingi East, Kitui County.
So far, 23 bodies have been retrieved from the bus while 12 people ( 4 children and 8 adults ) have been rescued and rushed to Mwingi Level Four Hospital for emergency treatment.
According to Kitui County Police Commander Leah Kithei, the 51 seater bus belonging to St Joseph Seminary was ferrying Catholic faithful to Nuu area for a wedding ceremony.
Search and rescue operations are undergoing as agencies are working to establish the number of occupants booked on the bus before it set out on the journey to Mwingi North.
Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu who visited scene called for calm as search teams worked to retrieve the bodies.
Ngilu also challenged the national government to expedite the construction of a bridge over the seasonal river which has claimed lives in the past
A video footage of the tragedy that has since gone viral on social media showed the bus being swept away as it crossed the swollen river as people watched helplessly.
Screams and wailing rent the air as some of the men who were standing across the river dived into the water to rescue passengers who were trapped in the sinking bus.
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