Online Reporter
Senior Reporter
SEVEN people were injured after a truck carrying fuel and gas cylinders caught fire while offloading its cargo at Jumbo Mine in Mazowe on Tuesday.
Police arrested a suspect allegedly operating without a licence to trade in petroleum products.
The truck was completely destroyed in the blaze.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect, identified as Patrick Matiwone (32).
“The ZRP confirms the arrest of Patrick Matiwone aged 32 in connection with a fire incident which occurred at Chitepo Village, Jumbo Mine, Mazowe, on May 12, 2026,” he said.
“The incident occurred while the suspect was offloading three 200-litre drums of diesel, three 200-litre drums of petrol and eight 48-kilogramme gas cylinders from a Hino truck when a fire broke out. As a result, seven people sustained injuries, while the truck was burnt to ashes. The suspect had no licence or permit to trade in petroleum products.”
Meanwhile, four people, including a pedestrian, died while four others were injured after a bus and a truck collided head-on along the Harare–Masvingo Highway early Wednesday morning.
The accident occurred at the 220-kilometre peg at around 1:30am.
Comm Nyathi said the crash happened after the driver of an Asian Star bus travelling from Masvingo to Harare with 60 passengers on board allegedly swerved into the opposite lane while trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
“The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on May 13, 2026 at approximately 0130 hours at the 220 km peg along the Harare–Masvingo Road. The driver of an Asian Star bus travelling from Masvingo to Harare with 60 passengers on board attempted to avoid hitting a pedestrian, encroached onto the oncoming lane and was involved in a head-on collision with a Mercedes-Benz Atego truck carrying two passengers,” he said.
“As a result of the impact, the bus veered off the road, overturned and landed on its side, while the truck subsequently struck the pedestrian. Four people died on the spot — the truck driver, two passengers in the truck and the pedestrian — while four passengers from the bus sustained injuries. The bodies of the victims were taken to Mvuma Hospital Mortuary for post-mortem.”
