Residents of Likoni were thrown into panic after a passenger bus plunged into the Indian Ocean with passengers onboard in a harrowing Sunday morning incident.
The bus, which was travelling to Nairobi from Ukunda, slipped into the ocean with as it was making its way into the ferry.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, A Kenya Red Cross officer confirmed nine passengers sustained injuries in the incident. Luckily, rescuers attached to the Kenya Red Cross were at the scene.
“We have people on site but the bus has been retrieved from the water. We have received reports that there were approximately nine people injured. They were inside the bus,” the officer stated.
An image of the bus in Likoni. PHOTO/Maseke Peter.
“No deaths have been reported but we are still monitoring the situation for more updates,” the officer added.
Photos and videos of the incident showed the orange bus overturned and half immersed in the ocean while on its side as rescue operations from divers and samaritans were ongoing.
It is still unclear how many people were inside the bus when it plunged into the ocean, although nine people were rescued.
Less than 24 hours earlier, there was a similar incident involving a truck which narrowly avoided hitting passengers at the Likoni Ferry crossing channel, plunging into the ocean in the process.
No one was injured from the incident, although there was a major traffic snarl up since the lorry blocked a key area at the channel.
The bus incident was almost similar to one that occurred three years ago where a bus transporting tourists slipped into the ocean after its brakes failed. Luckily, passengers had alighted from the bus to allow it to access the ferry at the Likoni Crossing channel, but the driver and his assistant needed rescuing from the sinking bus.
Notably, the risks commuters endure at the Likoni crossing channel were further highlighted in August 2024 when four people were injured after a night stampede at the crossing channel.
Passengers were reported to have gotten impatient after an MV Jambo, a large ferry, left passengers stranded after stalling for hours.
The Likoni Ferry channel is one of the busiest in East Africa, with an estimated 300,000 people and 6,000 vehicles crossing it daily. The Likoni Ferry, which kicked off operations in 1937, serves Mombasa from the Island to the mainland side of Likoni on the Kilindini Harbour.
A photo of passengers offboarding the Likoni Ferry in Mombasa
Photo
KPA
