Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has issued a statement after a vehicle plunged into the Indian Ocean on Saturday. 

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The governor said that after receiving the news of the incident, he dispatched a team from the county inspectorate department to help in the search and rescue operation.

"Early this morning we had another tragic moment at the Likoni ferry channel where a saloon car plunged into the Indian Ocean from the Likoni mainland ramp. I immediately dispatched a unit from our inspectorate department to join the multi-agency rescue team in the ongoing operation," he tweeted.

The outspoken county boss further urged ferry users to exercise caution whenever they are using the channel, to avoid similar accidents which he noted can be avoided. 

"In the meantime, I urge all ferry users and management to exercise extreme caution as we join the families of the occupants in the vehicle in prayer. We cannot afford to have any more casualties in a similar fashion more so when it can be avoided," he added.

The body of the victim has since been retrieved following a search and recovery mission that was carried out by a multi-agency team that included officers from the Kenya Navy and Kenya Coast Guard.

"The body of the driver of the Likoni ill-fated car (Reg. KBX 475B) the late John Mutinda has been taken to Coast General Hospital Mortuary by Ferry police vehicle," read a statement by the Kenya Ferry Services.