Nairobi: In an unfortunate incident, at least 23 people were killed after a bus travelling to a wedding plunged into the Enziu River in the eastern Kitui town.

Twenty three people drowned when a bus travelling to a wedding in central Kenya was swept off a bridge into a flooded river.

Reportedly, 12 people had been rescued, including four children. It remains unclear how many passengers were aboard the bus.

Reports added that all the passengers, were choir members of Mwingi Catholic Church and had been travelling for their male colleague’s wedding when the accident occurred in Kitui County. 

Reports further added that the driver was trying to cross fast-flowing waters passing over the bridge but the force was too strong, sweeping the bus beneath the churning currents. 

“We have this terrible, terrible accident that happened here this morning,” Kitui governor Charity Ngilu told reporters on Saturday. 

“The bodies that have already been retrieved right now are over 23. We have more bodies in the bus,” she said, adding efforts to recover the corpses would resume on Sunday morning.  

This afternoon tragedy has struck Kitui County. A bus carrying Catholic faithfuls was swept away while attempting to cross a swollen river Enziu in Nguni, Mwingi. Rescue efforts are ongoing. So far there are 17 survivors and regrettably 21 bodies have been recovered. pic.twitter.com/1VqF5U6g3z

— Charity Ngilu (@mamangilu) December 4, 2021

Officials, however, have started an investigation into the incident.

Islamabad: The government is launching ‘Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive’ in Islamabad on Monday (December 6), in a bid to revive sports culture for producing national heroes.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the drive at Jinnah Stadium Sports Complex, Islamabad.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar said this would be the biggest sports programme in the country’s history that would enable active participation of the youth in healthy physical activities.

He said under its first phase, twelve different games for male and ten for female would be arranged across 25 regions under the talent hunt programme. The age bracket for the both would be 11-25 years.

گلی سےگراؤنڈ تک، کھیلو جوان دل سے!
نوجوانو! @KamyabJawanPK کرنے جارہا ہے آپ کےلیے کھیلوں کے میدان پھر سے آباد #KJSportsDrive کےذریعے۔ وزیراعظم @ImranKhanPTI کریں گے جس کا افتتاح 6 دسمبر کو سپورٹس کمپلیکس میں۔ آپ بھی تقریب میں شرکت کریں اور حصہ بنیں کھیل کےمیدان آبادکرنےکی مہم کا۔ pic.twitter.com/l8tfLhip3J

— Usman Dar (@UdarOfficial) December 4, 2021

Happy to have @themichaelowen join hands to promote Pakistan football through a @GSVOfficial1 & @KamyabJawanPK Sports Drive initiative giving the next generation a wonderful chance to shine at the international stage!#KJSportsDrive #FootballHoga pic.twitter.com/CDsCJmFPfL

— Usman Dar (@UdarOfficial) December 5, 2021

Jakarta: The death toll following the eruption of a volcano on Indonesia’s island, Java has risen to 13, with seven people still missing, officials said Sunday.

As per details, more than 300 families with children took shelter in badly hit Curah Kerobokan village in Lumajang after their houses were destroyed by volcanic ash and lava.

Several villages were blanketed with falling ash in Indonesia’s most densely populated island.  

As per Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the geological survey center, a thunderstorm and days of rain, which eroded and collapsed the lava dome atop the 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) Semeru, triggered the eruption.

Videos shared on Saturday by the country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) showed residents running in panic as towering smoke and ash blanketed some nearby villages in Lumajang district.

As per reports, thick columns of ash have turned several villages to darkness and several hundred people were moved to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas.

Authorities were setting up evacuation tents, but evacuations have been hampered by thick smoke, BNPB chief Suharyanto said.

Catatan yang dihimpun Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG), guguran lava pijar teramati dengan jarak luncur kurang lebih 500-800 meter dengan pusat guguran berada kurang lebih 500 meter di bawah kawah. pic.twitter.com/i3IorFweRf

— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) December 4, 2021

The eruption took place at about 14:30 local time (07:30 GMT). Local authorities have set up a restricted zone within 5km (3 miles) from the crater.

Airlines have been warned of an ash cloud rising up to 15,000m (50,000 ft).

Mt Semeru was quite an active volcano that regularly spewed ash up to about 4,300m, but Yesterday’s eruption was a pretty intense.

Mt Semeru rises 3 676m above sea level and previously erupted last December, forcing thousands of residents to seek shelter. It is among Indonesia’s nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Moreover, Indonesia is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.

Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.