Survivors Recall Kiambu Wedding Well Collapse
Families of the victims are coming to terms with the loss of their loved ones, while survivors of the Kiambu wedding catastrophe have recalled the moments preceding the tragedy.
When the wedding guests tumbled into a well while transporting the bride to her parent’s house on a Saturday that was supposed to be filled with joy, the day took a tragic turn.
Before the incident, the families sang wedding songs as the bride, dressed in a white gown, emerged from the home.
They were unaware that the ground they were standing on was a well, as the slab covering it collapsed under their weight. Six of the victims drowned instantly, while others gasped for air and screamed for assistance as they were suddenly enveloped in darkness.
“When we saw the bride emerge from the home, we were so ecstatic that we began to sing loudly and joyfully. While chanting, we heard something fall,” one survivor said on Sunday.
Another individual described the terrifying experience, expressing astonishment at the abrupt transition from standing on the platform to being submerged in water.
She added that everyone was screaming as those in the well desperately grasped any available object to remain afloat. Within the well, pandemonium ensued as victims crowded together to survive.
Within the walls, urgent pleas were amplified by the well’s confinement.
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I was clinging to something when I was propelled back into the water. “In the water, everyone stepped on whoever was on the ground,” she narrated.
Due to the large number of individuals who tumbled into the well and its size, many helpless victims, including children, were trampled.
“I thought I had trodden on a jerrycan when I stepped on something in the well, but it turned out to be a child. I do know whether or not the child survived,” she added, insisting that she had endangered her life to ensure the child’s safety.
One devastated mother described her unsuccessful efforts to save her daughter. Due to desperation, she wore a shuka that tore from the weight. Tragically, her daughter was one of the six victims who perished.
As rescue operations unfurled amidst a cacophony of agonized screams, bystanders mistook the cries for wedding celebrations.
The victims were hurried to the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH), where some were treated with first aid and released, whereas others were admitted. The deceased’s bodies were also transported to a local morgue.
Perminus Kioi, the police chief of Kiambu County, assured that those responsible for the incident, including construction employees, would be held accountable.
Survivors Recall Kiambu Wedding Well Collapse
