adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
TWELVE people died yesterday, seven of them on the spot, while 11 were injured, six seriously, when a commuter omnibus they were travelling in veered off the road and overturned at the 65 km peg along the Roy-Chiredzi Road, police confirmed.National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said the accident happened at around 7am and that the injured were rushed to Musiso Hospital.
“I confirm that 12 people died in a road traffic accident involving a Nissan Caravan commuter omnibus that happened along the Roy-Chiredzi Road at around 7am,” Chief Supt Nyathi said.
He added: “Seven died on the spot while five died on admission at Musiso Hospital in Zaka under Masvingo province.”
Chief Supt Nyathi said the injured were reported to be in a critical but stable condition while bodies of the deceased were being held at the hospital mortuary for postmortem.
He said the commuter omnibus was travelling from Svuure area under Chief Bota with 23 passengers on board, heading towards Jerera Growth Point in Zaka.
“Upon arriving at the 65km peg along the same road, the driver failed to negotiate a bend and the vehicle veered off the road before overturning several times,” he said.
“The commuter omnibus was overloaded because it is supposed to carry 15 passengers but there were 23 passengers on board.”
Chief Supt Nyathi could not disclose the names of the deceased as their next of kin had not been notified.
“We will release the names of the deceased and that of the driver tomorrow (today). We will also give more information as we are gathering more details,” he said.
With the festive season in full swing, police have appealed to commuter omnibus operators and crews to observe road traffic regulations to avoid death and injury.
Online Reporter