adminTemba Dube Senior Reporter
THIRTEEN people died and 18 were seriously injured when a Zupco bus sideswiped a haulage truck and plunged into Umtuli River along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway yesterday.National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi confirmed the accident which occurred some minutes before midnight on Monday.
He said 10 people died on the spot while three others died at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Chief Supt Nyathi said there were 43 passengers in the Zupco bus that was coming from Malawi.
“The truck driver Wonderful Nyamurambe, 42, travelling from Harare towards Nyamapanda, stopped just after the bridge upon realising that there were some clothes dumped in the middle of the road,” said Chief Supt Nyathi.
“The driver alleges that he stopped his truck thinking that there were people sleeping on the road and then started reversing his motor vehicle in order to avoid running over the objects.”
He said the bus which was moving in the opposite direction sideswiped the truck and veered off the road, plunging into the river.
“Ten people died on the spot as it landed on its left side while three others died on admission at Parirenyatwa Hospital,” said the police spokesperson.
Chief Supt Nyathi appealed to drivers to be observant on the road and avoid speeding, especially at night, adding police were conducting investigations into the accident.
The horrific accident follows the death of seven people on Sunday and Monday in two separate accidents in Bulawayo and Plumtree. In Plumtree four people died on Sunday evening when a Toyota Granvia veered off the road and overturned along the Plumtree-Bulawayo Road. Nine people were seriously injured in that accident.
On Monday, three other people died when a kombi overturned near Rio Hotel in Bulawayo.
Barely a week ago, in another highway accident, 18 people died when a Mercedes Benz Sprinter collided head on with a South Africa registered Hino truck at the 206km peg along the Harare- Masvingo Road.
Chronicle business editor Mernat Mafirakurewa died when his vehicle collided head on with a King Lion Bus in Beatrice along the same road more than two weeks ago.
A passenger in the bus also died while Sunday News business reporter Roberta Katunga who was travelling with Mafirakurewa was injured.
derick.khumalo