Passengers aboard a public service vehicle narrowly escaped with their lives after a billboard fell on top of their vehicle on Thika Road on Friday, November 8.
The incident, which took place near the entry to Thika Town, saw the billboard topple onto the busy highway after its roots came loose on the side of the road.
Images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed the impact of the collapse, as the billboard fell flat in the middle of the road, blocking two key roads.
The road artery leading to Thika town at the time of going to press is effectively blocked by the towering billboard, with vehicles also going to heading to other central Kenya counties using the main Thika Road facing the same predicament.
An image of a billboard which collapsed along Thika Road. PHOTO/ @Fiendlyg
One matatu plying the Thika Road route was inches from the billboard, indicating it narrowly escaped getting into a potentially fatal accident.
Moments after the incident, traffic started to build up as motorists looking to enter Thika were lost for an alternative route.
It remains unclear what caused the billboard’s collapse, although it is likely the recent rains may have interfered with the integrity of the ground where it stood.
The incident followed a similar one which occurred earlier this week when a large tree succumbed and fell on Limuru Road.
On November 4, a vehicle plying the road was left badly damaged after a tree fell on it near the Karura Forest gate. Police had to temporarily condone off the road to ensure the safety of other passengers.
Bizarrely, the billboard incident was the second accident in a matter of hours to take place along Thika Road. A few kilometres back, a matatu lost control and toppled over in a freak accident which also left a blue personal car damaged.
The accident, which took place near the GSU headquarters, temporarily halted the flow of traffic along the busy highway as authorities struggled to contain a crowd as rescue operations from the toppled matatu went on.
Several passengers were left trapped inside the PSV, as by-standers intervened to evacuate them through the windows.
An accident along Thika Road on Friday, November 8, 2024. PHOTO/ @mosoti
