A tragic bus accident on the evening of July 21 claimed the lives of a bus driver and five women from the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. They were part of a group en route to an orphanage in Isiolo village, about 124 miles (200 kilometers) Northeast of the Kenyan capital.

Five women and the driver died immediately. Many others were seriously injured and are hospitalized nearby, though some were airlifted to Nairobi for treatment. By Sunday, July 23, some of the injured had been released, while others were in stable condition. On that same day, a memorial service was held at the Nairobi Central church.

According to a report in the Sunday Times newspaper of Nairobi, “Police sources said the driver who was unfamiliar with the rugged terrain lost control of the bus ... as it reached the steep section of the Meru-Nanyuki road at Timau, near the Isiolo junction.” An investigation of the accident is pending.

The Seventh-day Adventist is one of East Africa’s largest denominations, with more than 2 million members in the region.