06/05/2025
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ โ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎโ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
On the night of ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ญ๐๐, ๐ญ๐ต๐ต๐ฏ, over 600 passengers boarded an overnight train in ๐ ๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ, heading to ๐ก๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ. Among them were parents returning home from holiday, traders with goods, students going back to school, and workers reporting back after a break.
It was supposed to be just another long journey through the heart of Kenya.
But as the train cruised past ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ถ, under a sky heavy with rain and thunder, disaster was quietly building ahead.
For hours, the rain had pounded the land, swelling rivers and flooding tracks. By the time the train approached ๐ก๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ ๐ก๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, a tributary of the Athi, the water below had risen violently. Unknown to the crew, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ.
And then, it happened.
The engine, unaware of the danger, rolled onto the weakened bridge. Suddenly, the structure gave way.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. Screams pierced the air. Metal twisted. Water swallowed everything. Within seconds, the coaches were submergedโtossed and battered by the current.
๐ข๐ป๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐. The rest were goneโjust like that.
Quick action from the train conductor prevented a complete catastrophe. He pulled the emergency brake in time, ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐, saving hundreds of lives.
But for those at the front, it was too late.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ, some trapped inside the wreckage, others washed up along the muddy banks. Rescue efforts were franticโsoldiers, police, and villagers worked through the night using sawsand even bare hands