adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Scores of Malawians were seriously injured in South Africa when a Nyali Luxury Coaches bus side-swiped with a Mazda 323 about 20km from Musina town early yesterday.
The incident occurred along the N1 Highway, and the bus was reportedly travelling from Johannesburg to Malawi via Zimbabwe.
Witnesses said the incident occurred at around 2am.
They said the driver and a number of passengers suffered broken limbs.
“The injured have been taken to Musina hospital for treatment. We arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. No deaths have been reported yet though many passengers suffered serious injuries,” said a witness, Mr Cleto Zharare.
“Indications are that the bus trailer side swiped with a small vehicle which was travelling in the opposite direction, and the bus veered off the road. It landed on its side, partially blocking the road.”
Mr Zharare said apart from the passengers, the baggage on the bus was mostly potatoes and over 60 car bat- teries.
He said the accident could have been a result of overloading.
Musina police spokesperson Constable Dakalo Ramagweda confirmed the accident but said she was yet to get more details.
The N1 highway has become a death trap for many Zimbabweans and other road users.
Last year, over 30 Zimbabweans were killed in several road accidents along the same highway between Musina and Johannesburg.
Recently, 50 Zimbabweans were injured, some of them seriously, when the driver of a Greyhound bus they were travelling in lost control and overturned near Louis Tritchardt in South Africa’s Limpopo province.
The bus was travelling from Johannesburg to Bulawayo with 50 people on board including the bus crew.
The N1 highway is one of the busiest roads in South Africa as it links that country to the rest of Africa.
The route also handles huge volumes of commercial cargo.
Online Reporter