adminThe incident occurred at around 10:30 pm near Matshiloni area where police and officials from the Civil Protection Unit spent the whole night trying to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage.
They managed to pull out all the bodies at around 5am yesterday.
It is reported that the bus, which was coming from Johannesburg, South Africa, tried to overtake a haulage truck oblivious of oncoming traffic and later hit a cow as the driver tried to avoid an imminent head on collision.
Among those who were killed were the bus conductor and five passengers, all women, and they have since been taken to Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem.
The police officer commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Lawrence Chinhengo said yesterday that the bus had 55 passengers on board.
He said they suspected the accident was a result of speeding.
He said the victims’ next of kin were yet to be notified.
“Indications are that the Pioneer (Yotung Model) was travelling to Harare from Johannesburg being driven by Big Chirimuta.
“The bus had 55 passengers on board and when they were 40km out of Beitbridge along Masvingo road, the driver overtook a haulage truck oblivion of oncoming traffic. When he tried to avoid a herd on collision he ploughed into a herd of cattle,” he said.
Chief Supt Chinhengo said as a result the bus hit one of the cows and turned 360 degrees to face Beitbridge town before lending on its side.
He said in the process six people were trapped under the bus and died instantly, while 37 other including Chirimuta were injured.
“Three of the passengers were seriously injured including the driver and they are still admitted at Beitbridge district hospital where their condition is reported to be stable,” he said.
Chief Supt Chinhengo said 33 other passengers were treated and discharged at the same hospital.
He said the matter was still under investigations.
He also urged motorists to always abide by the basic road regulations so as to avoid the unnecessary loss of life.
“We want to urge all road users to always abide by the laws of the land so as to avoid the unnecessary loss of life. Investigations so far reveal that the accident was a result of speeding, something which was avoidable,” he said.
Investigations by this paper recently showed that some criminals who operate along the same area (Matshiloni) are in the habit of driving cattle into the road and cause accidents thereby opening opportunities to loot valuables.
In some cases they even put boulders on the road and pounce on motorists when they stop to clear the road. Several motorists have been robbed at the same point while others lost their lives due to the road accidents orchestrated by these criminals.
Last year police arrested over 13 robbers who have been terrorising road users on highways leading to Bulawayo and Harare.
Online Reporter