Kenya: Woman dies after car plunges into Indian Ocean in Mombasa

A woman whose car plunged into the Indian Ocean at Makupa Causeway in Mombasa, Kenya has died.

Winnie Achieng, 33, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Coast General Hospital where she had been rushed for treatment.

Police said Achieng who was the driver of the ill-fated car, hit a pavement while heading towards Mombasa Island from Changamwe.

"It happened that the driver who was at the time using the outer lane overtook a motorcycle which was ahead of her and as she was swerving back, the motor vehicle hit a pavement, lost control and plunged into the Indian Ocean," reads the police report.

The deceased who was driving a Toyota Vitz, registration KCY 556B, had her 12-year-old son in the car at the time of the incident.

The boy managed to swim to safety while the woman was rescued by local divers. He had minor injuries which were treated at the hospital before he left with his father.

The woman, however, is said to have taken in a lot of water before she was rescued.

Eyewitnesses at the scene told the Nation that the vehicle was being driven at high speed.

"The car was moving at a high speed. I saw it heading towards Mombasa Island and all of a sudden I saw it in the ocean. I rushed to rescue the occupants," said Mr Omar Chigamba, a local who saved the woman.

He said the child managed to swim out of the vehicle and rescue himself while the mother was strapped to her seat by a safety belt.

“When I got there...she was in bad shape when we managed to remove her," added Mr Chigamba.