Police in Juja, Kiambu County, are looking into the circumstances surrounding a car sinking into a dam, which resulted in the deaths of two people.

According to eyewitnesses, the victims, a man and a woman, were in their vehicle, a Nissan X-Trail, when it gently moved and sunk in the dam.

It remains unclear what led to the car plunging into the river without the two attempting to hop out.

By last evening, rescuers had managed to recover the body of the female victim, while efforts to recover the body of the male victim and the vehicle were still ongoing.

Martin Ngugi, a fire officer from the county, told journalists that the vehicle that is still inside the dam had two occupants. The vehicle, he said, has already been spotted but will be recovered after the male victim’s body is removed from the dam.

“We only managed to retrieve the body of the woman. She had tried to swim and had moved towards the bank but didn’t make it. We have already located where the car is and the man’s body,” Ngugi said.

The man’s body was finally retrieved on Wednesday and taken to General Kago Funeral Home together with the woman’s body.

The vehicle was yet to be retrieved from the dam as of the time of publishing this story.

Murera Ward MCA, Ngatha Wambiri, spoke at the scene and revealed that the Ward has five dams, some of which have been dangerous to locals and should now be fenced to protect lives.

“I’m urging the national government, or even the county government, to fence off the five dams in Juja. Many people usually come here to relax. However, where alcohol is involved, judgement is usually impaired, leading to unfortunate incidents that could have been avoided,” he said.

Revelers have been thronging the area for “park and chill” activities while indulging in merry-making.

Rescue efforts are still underway, led by the Kiambu County rescue team and divers in collaboration with the police.

The victims’ identities have not yet been released, and the cause of the accident is still being investigated.

More than 1,000 households spent the night outside in the cold after a fire in a Mukuru slum on Tuesday night gutted more than 300 houses and reduced property worth millions of shillings to shells.

According to Starehe deputy commissioner John Kisang, the fire started around 6 p.m. and was extinguished around 9 p.m.

Kisang went on to say that the tragedy occurred in the Mukuru-Maasai slum in Nairobi South Ward’s South B division.

He did, however, say that detectives led by the area DCIO Felix Nyamai Kithuku have begun an investigation to determine what caused the fire.

Sylvester Maithya, the slum chairman, told reporters that due to lack of access, it was difficult for county government fire engines to reach the scene of the incident.

Six fire engines battled the fire, while several water bowsers supplied water to the engines.

South B Youth leader Rodrigues Lunalo, who was present at the scene, said the vehicles’ lack of access was due to landgrabbers who encroached on all road reserves in the area.

According to the victims who spoke to journalists, the fire started in one house while the tenant was away, despite claims that it was caused by a candle that caught fire and set the curtain on fire.

The fire quickly spread due to strong winds before spreading to other homes.

Panic also spread among the nearby Hazina estate, with residents fearing that the fire will spread to the estate.

Leaders and residents lauded the youths for their bravery in fighting the overwhelming fire basins, jerricans, and buckets fetching water from the Ngong River.

“Youths did a commendable work as they volunteered to put out the fire using water from Ngong River, water pipes while their colleagues were demolishing other houses to prevent the fire from spreading further,” Ms Mary Kiminza Charles remarked.