Five people succumbed while 8 others sustained serious injuries following an early morning accident Saturday along the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway.

The tragic incident occurred after a 14-seater matatu full of passengers lost control and collided with an oncoming lorry travelling to Nakuru.

The Kenya Red Cross Society while confirming the 3 am accident stated that it had dispatched a rescue team.

“A road traffic incident has been reported at Salgaa involving a trailer and a 14-seater matatu. Our first responders are en route to the scene,” the Kenya Red Cross announced.

The accident caused a traffic snarl-up along the ver-busy highway even as the police and Nakuru County disaster management team helped in the rescue process.

In the images that have since circulated online, the matatu was completely deformed with glasses strewn all over the road.

According to the Nakuru County Police Commander, four men and one woman had so far been confirmed dead while the injured were rushed to the Nakuru Referral Hospital.

Following the accident, the wreckage of the matatu was towed to the Salgaa Police Station to pave the way for investigations to unravel the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the deceased were moved to the same hospital awaiting identification.