Two more people have died to bring the tally of passengers who perished in the Kisumu bus accident to 26 by Saturday morning. The bus lost control and overturned at the Coptic Roundabout on the busy Kisumu-Kakamega Highway.

Nyanza Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Peter Maina said the casualties were among 61 others who were returning home from a funeral. Survivors, he said, were rushed to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) for treatment. Five were in critical condition.

On Sarturday, Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga appealed for urgent blood donation to assist survivors of a road crash that has so far claimed 26 lives on the Kisumu-Kakamega road on Friday evening.

The accident involved a school bus ferrying mourners from Nyahera in Kisumu who were heading back to Nyakach in Siaya, some 50 kilometres south of the lakeside city.

Speaking at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit after visiting the injured, Oluga described the tragedy as a national loss.

“This is tragic news for the entire country and we are united in this sorrow. The ministry of health is doing everything possible to prevent more lives from being lost and to support these families,” he said, adding that the ministry of interior has been contacted to assist the bereaved families.

The blood donation drive will take place at Leresian Park within JOOTRH from 9am today with the hospital’s Blood Transfusion Unit managing donations by the public.

Oluga commended the hospital’s rapid emergency response, saying all survivors had been attended to and admitted to wards within three hours of arrival.

A counselling tent and a communication desk have been set up to support affected families. The principal secretary said emergency medical teams are working with police to secure personal belongings recovered from the crash site.

“We are moving from the medical response to the social support needed to calm and unite the families as we mourn together,” he said.

Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathew Owili, Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu, Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron, and Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor also praised JOOTRH’s swift and organised response. MP Buyu noted that the availability of critical medical equipment such as a portable X-ray machine was instrumental in saving lives.

Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor said the Coptic Roundabout, where the accident occurred, has claimed many lives over the years and appealed to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to relook at the designs.

While the exact cause of the accident remains unclear, preliminary reports indicated that the driver lost control before the bus overturned. A statement from JOOTRH said 32 of the passengers are in stable condition and receiving treatment at the hospital.

“Unfortunately, the hospital also received 19 bodies from the accident scene, while another, three unidentified adult males and a male child succumbed to their injuries upon arrival at the hospital,” read the statement in part.

In response to the tragic event, the hospital established a help desk with psycho-social support services next to the Emergency and Accident Unit to assist family members seeking information on their loved ones.

Ouma who visited the hospital hour after thee accident said the level of response was swift, adding that everything was being done to stabilise the injured. The principal secretary said the ministry was working closely with the ministry of interior to support the affected families.

• A Tell Media / KNA report/ By Chris Mahandara