admin
Harare Bureau
The identification of the 24 fire victims of the Chisumbanje fuel tanker that exploded when it collided with a T35 truck was yesterday delayed at Chipinge district hospital mortuary after families had a wrangle over the charred bodies. The accident occurred on Wednesday morning near Checheche Growth Point along the Tanganda-Chiredzi Highway in Chisumbanje at the 206km peg.
Acting Manicaland police traffic co-ordinator Chief Inspector Cyprian Mukahanana said they conducted a physical count of the remains yesterday morning and ascertained that 24 people had been killed and not 21 as earlier reported.
ZBC reported last night that the accident had been declared a disaster.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo said the Government would assist the affected families with $200 each.
Police said by 8pm last night, relatives had only managed to identify 12 of the charred remains, the majority of whom were mourners on their way to bury a relative at Mariya Village, about 20km away from the accident scene.
Relatives wrangled as they counter claimed the same bodies thereby delaying the identification process where birthmarks and other peculiar body marks were used.
Hospital sources confirmed that they could not peruse the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test to help determine the genetic make up of the individuals as they did not have the equipment. The relatives, especially the wives and husbands of the deceased, would use body marks, tattoos, scars and other parts of the body to identify the remains.
The tanker was Harare-bound when the accident occurred.
According to a police report released yesterday, the T35 truck encroached into the lane of the tanker carrying 45 000 litres of ethanol, with the driver believed to have dosed off while on the wheel.
The driver of the tanker tried to avoid a head-on collision by swerving to the right.
During the process, the police said the truck driver swerved to the same direction resulting in a collision and as a result of the impact, the truck faced the direction it was coming from, about five metres away from the tanker.
Villagers rushed to the scene and as they were trying to rescue the victims, the tanker exploded burning the passengers who were already injured and could not quickly move away. The T35 truck — laden with Muyambo family members — was also carrying a coffin bearing the body of Clifford Muyambo who died on Monday. The body was burnt to ashes.
Police said six people were rescued, but two died on their way to Chipinge District Hospital.
Four mourners, among them a child, were admitted and their condition was said to be critical after they sustained head, spinal and internal injuries and fractured ribs and limbs.
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said one of the injured person, a woman, was still in a critical condition and had been transferred to Mutare Provincial Hospital from Chipinge District Hospital.
She said the names of those who had been identified so far were still being withheld.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter