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Temba Dube Senior Reporter
A total of 16 people were seriously injured when a PCJ bus they were travelling in overturned just after Shangani Business Centre about 102km along the Bulawayo-Harare Road yesterday. Further down the highway, about 73km from Bulawayo, 49 passengers cheated death when their bus ploughed into a herd of about 30 cattle at around 1PM.
The first accident occurred at about 1AM and both buses were en route to Harare from Francistown.
Passengers in the PCJ bus said they suspected the driver fell asleep.
They said he veered off the road to the right and when he tried to pull the vehicle back onto the road, it overturned and slid on its side for about 60m.
“I lost part of my ear in the accident. There are people who lost fingers. I am not sure what happened but my two sisters who were also on the bus have been rushed to UBH (United Bulawayo Hospitals) as they were seriously injured,” said Cecilia Kanyemba, 29.
Clement Mazowe, another passenger, said: “I woke up to loud screams.
“And it appeared as though the bus was on fire. I later realised it was a shower of sparks as the bus slid along the road on its side. Private motorists took the injured to Gweru Provincial Hospital and UBH in Bulawayo.”
The bus crew were reluctant to speak to the media but one of the drivers lost an earlobe while the other, who was behind the wheel, was admitted to UBH.
The news crew found passengers sifting through the debris of goods that included groceries to salvage what they could.
Some people from surrounding villages were also scavenging for food and other items at the scene.
In the other accident, a handful of passengers complained of headaches saying their heads had slammed onto the seats due to the impact as the bus hit the cattle.
The driver, Muzanenhamo Steadingstone, 44, said he saw a group of boys driving a herd of about 30 cattle across the road at a blind rise.
“They were just after the rise and there was no time to stop. I ploughed into the cattle and after a struggle managed to stop the bus beside the road. The boys ran away probably because they know it is a crime to let animals stray onto the road,” said Steadingstone.
One of the beasts was trapped under the bus and died on the spot.
Two others were still lying by the roadside, too injured to move.
Benhilda Mugoni, 44, who was a passenger in the bus, said it was a miracle that it did not overturn.
“We were also lucky that no one was injured. We are now trying to catch lifts to complete our journey,” said Mugoni.
Comment could not be obtained from Matabeleland South police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Christopher Ngwenya.
Online Reporter