Police call off search for bodies

Midlands Bureau

Police have called off the search for the bodies of four passengers still missing after an Isuzu double cab was swept off the low-level Gweru River Bridge on Sunday.

The vehicle was discovered and pulled out of the river, allowing police to retrieve the bodies of the driver and a passenger.

Mr Tinashe Chiwawa, was identified as the driver. He was employed by Gweru City Council in the engineering department. He was buried yesterday in Gweru. The passenger is still to be identified.

The vehicle was towing a mining compressor when it was swept off the bridge.

In an interview yesterday, Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said an eyewitness told the police that he saw six people including the driver in the vehicle that came up behind him while he was waiting on the Gweru side.

Three men got out to assess the bridge and one passenger said they carry on as the water was not deeper than the day before.