A FAREHAM man has described the moment he witnessed a coach crash which left three British tourist injured.
Mark Bizley was travelling behind the coach to Mombasa Airport, which was carrying 15 Britons on holiday with First Choice, when it careered off a road and rolled down an embankment at 7am local time yesterday.
Witnesses saw the vehicle snake across the road before rolling down the embankment into the path of oncoming traffic on another carriageway.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said the tourists’ injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Mr Bizley, from Fareham, said that it lost its grip and started to snake across the road.
‘I could see the driver was really struggling to keep the vehicle straight. His right-hand wheels went over the edge of the tarmac and, as soon as the wheels left the road, the bus rolled,’ he said.
‘That side of the coach stopped snaking and the forward momentum turned the bus over and it rolled down the embankment into the other carriageway, which was busy.’
A spokeswoman for First Choice confirmed that three British tourists were injured, but said it was not known what caused the coach to lose control.
She said yesterday: ‘First Choice is aware of an accident involving one of our transfer coaches, in Mombasa, Kenya, this morning.
‘We are working closely with our teams in resort and the authorities to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected.
‘We can confirm there were 15 passengers and one staff member on board; three passengers are being treated for injuries at a local hospital.’
An FCO spokesman said: ‘Our team in Mombasa is providing consular assistance to the British nationals who have been affected.
‘We are working very closely with the tour operator. Some British nationals remain in hospital receiving treatment for injuries, accompanied by their families. The remaining passengers will be leaving Kenya.’
In its travel advice for visitors to Kenya, the FCO warns that ‘road conditions and driving standards are often poor’.
It states: ‘There have been a number of serious accidents involving Kenyan long-distance bus services.
‘Vehicles are often poorly maintained, and driven at excessive speed even on poorly-maintained roads.’
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