At least 13 people, most of them Catholic pilgrims, were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on a highway leading to Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, police said on Saturday.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight in the Salama area when the driver of a truck attempted to overtake another truck but failed, swerving into other vehicles, according to local police.
Among the vehicles struck was a van carrying Catholic pilgrims. The van’s driver and at least 12 passengers were killed at the scene.
Martin Kivuva, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, said the pilgrims had been travelling to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the capital Nairobi.
Authorities had not immediately confirmed how many people were inside the van or whether any passengers survived.
Deadly road crashes are common in Kenya and across parts of Africa, with authorities frequently citing speeding, poorly maintained vehicles and hazardous road conditions among the main causes.
