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At least 30 people have died after a bus in central Kenya veered off a bridge and plunged into a river 40 metres below.
- It's thought the brakes failed and stopped the bus driver from making a sharp turn on a bridge
- The death toll may continue to rise
- It's the latest in a series of deadly crashes in Kenya
Newspapers The Daily Nation and Standard reported the bus was travelling from Meru to the port city of Mombasa when it swerved off Nithi Bridge in Tharaka Nithi County on Sunday night.
The accident occurred around 6.30pm, with rescuers forced to suspend efforts after nightfall. The death toll continued to climb the morning after.
It's not known how many people were on the bus when it crashed.
Officials said initial investigations showed the Modern Coast company vehicle's brakes may have failed as it travelled at high speed over the bridge.
"We are sadly announcing to the nation… we have lost 24 people in a grisly Modern Coast Bus accident on the notorious Nithi River Bridge along the Meru — Nairobi highway," county Commissioner Nobert Komora told The Daily Nation.
He added the brake failure may have stopped the driver from taking a sharp turn.
It was the latest in a series of deadly crashes in the nation.
A total of 4,579 people died in road accidents in Kenya in 2021 according to the National Bureau of Statistics, a 15 per cent rise from 2020.
ABC/Reuters/AP