Watch Video: 20 Choir Members Die As Their Bus Drown Into The River

At least 20 members of the Mwingi Catholic Church choir died after the bus they were moving on plunged into the Enziu River in Kitui County, south-eastern Kenya, on Saturday.

To date, 20 bodies have been recovered from the bus, while 10 persons have been rescued and rushed to Mwingi Level 4 Hospital.

According to Kitui County Police Commander Leah Kithei, the 51-seater bus belonging to Mwingi Junior Seminary, a Catholic Church- run private school, was ferrying the choir members to Nuu area from Mwingi town to attend a wedding ceremony.

Kithei stated that police were on scene to coordinate rescue efforts that were hampered by the raging waters.

We look forward to saving as many people as we can. Unfortunately, we recovered 20 bodies from the scene and 10 survivors were saved alive and rushed to Mwingi Level 4 Hospital,” Kithei said.

A video of the tragedy showed that the bus was carried away as it crossed the swollen river while people looked helpless.

Cries and moans tear the air as brave young men plunge into the water to rescue trapped passengers from the sinking bus.

Among the passengers on the fatal bus were members of the bridal party, one of whom was a woman, her three children, and two grandchildren.

The identity of the people who drowned could not be established immediately, but the police confirmed that Jane Mutua, the husband’s daughter and three children were among the victims.

The members of the choir would perform at the wedding to celebrate the marriage of the parents of one of the members.