Police say crash in the town of Migori happened along a major highway when the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The crash in the town of Migori happened along a major highway when the driver lost control of the vehicle on Saturday.

An operation to free people trapped under the truck was under way, and there are fears the death toll might rise, Migori police commander Mark Wanjala said.

Two more people were reported to have been knocked across a bridge and into a river, Wanjala said.

Witnesses told local media the truck driver honked the vehicle’s horn repeatedly before the crash. The truck was carrying bags of rice towards the Isebania border town into neighbouring Tanzania.

Videos of people looting the rice while people remained trapped under the track appeared on social media.

Many Kenyans travel to their rural homes during the Easter holidays, and road accidents during the busy season are common.

In January, at least 21 people were killed and 49 others injured when a bus heading for the capital, Nairobi, crashed shortly after crossing the border from Uganda.

Ten people died in 2019 after a bus crashed into a truck on the side of the road in southeast Kenya.