GARISSA, Kenya – At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured early Tuesday after a Nairobi-bound commuter bus collided head on with a truck ferrying building stones in Garissa County in northeast Kenya.

Northeastern police commander Edward Mwamburi said those injured were evacuated from the scene to the hospital with multiple injuries after the 3 a.m. incident at Bulta Banta on the Garissa-Nairobi highway. 

"We have about ten people who lost their lives in the accident and the death toll may increase. We are investigating the incident," Mwamburi said.

According to the survivors, the bus whose actual number of passengers could not be established collided head on with the lorry that was using the wrong lane because a section of the road had been closed for repairs.

Both the truck and the bus were extensively damaged in the incident. Several other passengers were injured, police said.

The bus was headed for Nairobi from Garissa while the lorry was moving on the opposite direction when the accident happened.

Kenya Red Cross said the injured had been rushed to the Garissa hospital and admitted there with multiple injuries.

Garissa County Referral Hospital Nursing Officer in charge Hassan Mohamed confirmed the hospital received 10 bodies- five adults and five children.

Hassan said that out of the 30 who were injured, five who were in critical condition were referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialized treatment.

He said three of the children who perished are aged below eight months and were traveling with their mother who was also among those critically injured.

"As you are aware due to the ongoing nurses' strike, all the wards are closed down. We could not make any admissions because there are no nurses," Hassan said.

Rescuers had to pull back the bus that was stuck in the lorry to access the trapped in the front seats of the lorry.

The scene was littered with broken glasses, personal belongings and blood stains and indication of the impact of the collision.

Relatives jammed the referral hospital on receiving the news of the accident and police had to be called in to control the surging crown.

The others who sustained injuries ranging from soft  tissue, broken limbs and head injuries had to be stabilized as relatives come in took their kinsmen and women to private hospitals due to the ongoing nurses strike.

"The moment we finish stabilizing the patient, it's their relatives who decide where they wish to take them for further treatment and management," Hassan said.

Xinhua