BBC News Online: World: Africa

Kenya bus crash kills 23

Kenya has been plagued by traffic accidents

The accident happened late on Wednesday near Machakos, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Nairobi.

Kenyan radio reported that the vehicle swerved to avoid a head-on collision and plunged into the Mwania river.

The minibus was licensed to carry 23 passengers, but there were 58 people on board at the time, the radio said.

Road accidents claim an average of 2,000 lives every year in Kenya.

In April, 35 people died when two buses collided and plunged off a bridge near the coastal town of Malindi.

Speeding and overloading on buses is a common problem in Kenya, where regulations are often ignored and passengers are squeezed into every available space so that the bus operators get the maximum profit.