Africa

At least 33 die in Kenya as bus plunges into river

Thirty-four people have died in central Kenya after their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river valley, local media reported on Monday.

The Daily Nation and The Standard newspapers reported that the incident occurred on Sunday evening in Tharaka Nithi County, when the bus of Modern Coast company travelling from Meru to the port city of Mombasa veered off the Nithi Bridge, and fell into the valley 40 metres (131 feet) below.

“Up to now, we have lost 14 women, 18 men and two girls, so the total deaths are 34. We have rescued 11 who are undergoing treatment in hospital,” Tharaka Nithi County Commissioner, Nobert Komora, told NTV Kenya television near the crash site.

The Nation quoted Komora as saying that initial investigations showed the bus brakes may have failed, preventing its driver from properly turning on a sharp bend at the bridge.

The National Transport and Safety Authority, Kenya’s transport regulator, has ordered all buses belonging to Modern Coast to suspend operations pending an investigation into the crash.

National Bureau of Statistics data showed that 4,579 people died in road accidents in Kenya in 2021, a 15 percent increase from a year earlier.

Uber Technologies Inc. attempted to lobby politicians and flouted laws as part of efforts to expand globally from 2013 to 2017, according to newspaper reports based on leaked documents.

The company allegedly received assistance in its efforts from politicians including French President, Emmanuel Macron, reports from outlets including the Guardian and Le Monde.

The so-called “Uber Files” — based on more than 124,000 documents shared with the non-profit International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — covered a period of time when co-founder, Travis Kalanick, was chief executive officer, and detailed the lengths to which the company sought to expand into key cities such as Paris.

In a statement released shortly after the reports were published, Uber didn’t deny any of the allegations and instead focused on the changes that have been made since Dara Khosrowshahi was named Chief Executive Officer in 2017.

“There has been no shortage of reporting on Uber’s mistakes prior to 2017,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. “Thousands of stories have been published, multiple books have been written — there’s even been a TV series.” -Reuters

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