At least 30 people have died after a bus plunged from a bridge in Kenya.

The bus fell from the Nithi bridge and into a river in the town of Meru, on the main motorway from the capital, Nairobi.

A senior policeman said the bus “must have developed a brake failure because it was at a very high speed” when it crashed.

Speaking to the Daily Nation newspaper about the “grisly” accident, county commissioner Nobert Komora described the bridge as “notorious”.

Images from the aftermath show the bus on the river bank, in a mangled condition, and rescue workers observing the scene.

One rescue worker said that the death toll will likely continue to rise, with some people still in hospital.

The accident happened at around 6.30pm on Sunday, and Red Cross officials said a rescue operation was suspended after nightfall.

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The crash is the latest in a series of deadly accidents in Kenya, where roads are narrow and police blame speeding drivers.

On 8 July, 20 people were killed in a crash along the highway from Nairobi to Mombasa – and in January, 10 people died after a vehicle ran over an explosive device on a major road in northwest Kenya.

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