Nairobi, July 24: The death toll from a bus accident in central Kenya has risen to 30, police said on Monday. The passenger bus carrying an unknown number of people on Sunday evening fell off a bridge and plunged into a river along a highway from Meru to the capital, Nairobi.

The bus "must have developed brake failure, because it was at a very high speed when the accident happened”, said senior police official Rono Bunei.

Bunei said early on Monday that the death toll grew to 30 from 24 overnight, with others hospitalised with injuries. Peru Bus Accident: 20 Killed, 33 Injured After Passenger Bus Plunges Into Ravine in Northern Peruvian Province.

The accident is the latest in a series of deadly crashes in Kenya — and across the wider East African region — where roads are often narrow and police blame speeding drivers for crashes. At least 20 passengers were killed on July 8 in a crash along the highway from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa.