At least 22 people have died after a passenger bus collided head-on with a lorry at Kanga, past Mtito Andei, along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway in Kenya's Makueni County on Sunday morning, Capital FM reported.

Source: Capital FM

The accident occurred at around 7am on Sunday, and the death toll rose from 20 to 22 after two more victims succumbed to their injuries, Capital FM said. Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the accident, which also left several other people injured.

The bus was reportedly ferrying passengers returning from a burial ceremony when the accident occurred, according to Capital FM and Radio47. The injured were taken to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital, where they are receiving treatment.

Source: Radio47

Soo TV, citing Commissioner Khalif, reported the bus was travelling towards Mombasa from Nairobi with 45 passengers on board, and that county health officials said survivors were evacuated to hospitals at Mtito Andei and Makindu. The bus driver reportedly attempted to overtake a fleet of vehicles before losing control, according to that report; the cause has not been officially established and investigations are expected.

Source: Soo TV

The crash comes barely three weeks after 17 people died in another accident on the same highway near Salama on October 3, renewing concerns about road safety on the busy Nairobi-Mombasa corridor, Kenyan media reported. Awaaz Punjab expresses condolences to the families of those killed.