Chronicle Editor
Felex Share, Harare Bureau
ELEVEN people were burnt beyond recognition while 14 others were seriously injured when a Honda CRV vehicle collided with a Nissan Caravan at the 60km peg along the Centenary-Mvurwi Road yesterday afternoon.
The driver of the Honda CRV vehicle reportedly encroached into the lane of the Nissan Caravan at a curve causing the head-on collision.
Both vehicles caught fire upon colliding.
Of the deceased, four were in the Honda CRV while seven were travelling in the Nissan Caravan.
The Nissan Caravan had 21 passengers on board.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the accident last night.
“Both cars caught fire upon colliding and the accident happened at a curve,” she said.
“Preliminary indications are that both cars were speeding and the driver of the Honda CRV encroached into the lane of the Nissan Caravan. Of the 14 injured, five were transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital while others are admitted at Mvurwi hospital. It is sad bread winners, precious lives have been lost.”
She said the survivors were rescued by a herdboy.
“We want to thank him for being brave,” she said.
“In some instances, he had to pour water on the bodies of those passengers who were burning.”
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said drivers should always abide by the road rules and regulations.
“We have always stated as police that drivers should always stick to their side of the road especially when they cannot see what is approaching,” she said.
“The fact that both vehicles caught fire suggests they were speeding. Moreover, 21 passengers in a Nissan Caravan is massive overloading.”
She added: “We appeal to drivers to exercise extreme caution especially when carrying passengers to avoid these kind of accidents. We urge members of the public who have relatives who might have been travelling along that route yesterday and are not locating them to approach Mvurwi Police Station. Police will also be updating the public as and when the information becomes available.”
The accident comes after 43 people were killed last month in an accident that involved a King Lion bus along the Harare-Chirundu Highway.
Preliminary investigations showed that it was caused by a tyre burst and speeding.
The accident was declared a state of disaster.
Human error has been blamed for most accidents.
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