leeroy mupariri
Scores of people died this (Thursday) morning when an Urban Connect bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a commercial truck at the Lutumba tollgate along the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway.
Witnesses said the accident occurred just before 7am when the driver of the bus made an overtaking error.
The local civil protection committee, the police and the army are still on the ground retrieving the bodies from the wreckage.
The injured have been taken to the district hospital.
Our Beitbridge Bureau Thupeyo Muleya is on the ground and will provide updates as the story develops.
24 die in collision
Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead following the accident.
According to witnesses, a Beitbridge-bound bus collided with a Chirundu-bound commercial truck that was carrying 34 tonnes of magnesium.
Beitbridge District Medical Officer, Dr Lenos Samhere confirmed that 24 people died from the collision.
He said 17 people died on the spot while seven who had sustained head injuries died upon admission at the hospital.
Dr Samhere said over 30 people have been taken to hospital, with 12 of them in critical condition.
Beitbridge residents throng hospital
Panic-stricken Beitbridge residents have thronged the district hospital where over 30 people are admitted following the head-on collision of a bus and a commercial truck 21 km north of the border town.
Twenty-four people died in the accident.
Residents who have come to the hospital said they are checking on their relatives.
“I rushed here to check if any of my relatives were on that bus,” said a woman only identified as Mai Tanaka.
The civil protection committee is still on the accident scene with members of the army and the police.
Beitbridge accident: Bus tried to overtake
Police have confirmed that 24 people died in a tragic accident on the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway this morning.In a statement, National Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said an Urban Connect bus carrying 65 passengers had a head on collision with an Auro Transport haulage truck with four occupants, resulting in the death of 24 people.“The bus was travelling from Harare to Beitbridge while the truck was travelling in the opposite direction,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
He said preliminary investigations suggest that the accident occurred as the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle.
“The number of injured people is still being determined. The bodies of the victims have been taken to Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary for post-mortem, while the injured are receiving treatment at the same hospital,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
He said police are investigating the scene and more details will be released as they become available.
Online Reporter
