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Prosper Ndlovu Senior Reporter
TWELVE people, three of them Malawians, were killed in separate road accidents between Friday and yesterday. The fatalities include six who died in the Saturday night accident that involved a Pathfinder luxury coach and a heavy goods truck at Lochard near Shangani, along the Bulawayo-Harare highway.
On Friday, three people believed to be from Malawi died on the spot when a Toyota Quantum, which had eight passengers on board, overturned near Mbembesi, also on the same road. The victims are yet to be identified.
Yesterday afternoon, the driver of a Toyota Vitz and his female passenger died on the spot when their car collided with a kombi near Esigodini along Bulawayo-Beitbridge road.
Also yesterday, a cyclist was knocked down by a car which was overtaking near Mzingwane High School in Esigodini.
Referring to the Pathfinder accident, national police spokesperson Chief Superintended Paul Nyathi said: “The death toll is six. Four died from the bus while the truck driver and his passenger also died.
The bus had 66 passengers on board and 38 were ferried to different hospitals. Of that number, 24 sustained minor injuries.”
The bus driver survived the accident, contrary to earlier reports, but remains critical in hospital.
United Bulawayo Hospitals’ acting clinical director Prof Enyioma Enwerem confirmed that some of the victims were admitted to his institution.
“Seven people, four women and three men, are on admission as we speak. Of these, six are stable and one is critically ill at the ICU,” he said.
“Six were brought in dead last night while 13 were seen and discharged.”
Among the survivors of the Pathfinder accident was Highlanders Football Club chairman Peter Dube and Premier Soccer League board member in charge of competitions Tavengwa Hara.
They were coming from Harare where they attended a PSL meeting to review the 2013 season.
Chief Supt Nyathi said the Quantum accident occurred at the 39km peg along Bulawayo-Harare highway at 2AM on Friday.
“The driver of a Toyota Quantum was driving towards Gweru with eight passengers on board. The driver and the passengers were foreigners from Malawi who had attended a church service in Bulawayo,” Chief Supt Nyathi said.
“Upon approaching the 39km peg, the vehicle veered off the road and overturned, killing three people. Five were injured and rushed to UBH.”
Turning to the Esigodini accident, Chief Supt Nyathi said the two vehicles caught fire when they collided at the 65km peg.
“The driver of the private car and a passenger died on the spot when the two vehicles collided. Both cars caught fire and were burnt extensively,” he said.
Traffic on the highway was blocked for almost an hour as the police and ambulance crews tried to assist the victims.
A witness said: “When I arrived, they were trying to retrieve the bodies of the dead while the injured had been rushed to hospital in Bulawayo.”
Online Reporter