January 30, 1993: About 114 people are feared dead after a passenger train is swept away by raging flood waters near Mtito Andei. By last night, 57 bodies had been recovered from the mangled coaches. The accident occurred when a section of the rails between Darajani and Kathekani was washed away as a result of the heavy unseasonal rains that have fallen most of this month. On learning of the accident, President Moi sent a message of condolences to the families of the bereaved and wished those injured a speedy recovery. He said the accident was even more agonising as the memory of the recent flood disaster in Narok where 10 people died was still fresh in the people’s minds. In a statement issued by the Kenya Railway Corporation’s public relations officer, the executive chairman, Professor J.K. Musuva, regretted the accident and sent condolences to the families of the bereaved. According to the information available by the time we went to press, the engine, six wagons and four Second Class coaches of the Nairobi-bound train with an estimated 600 passengers plunged into river Kambu at 3: AM.

Photo|Nation Syndication