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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A BULAWAYO woman died on the spot while 13 other people including two juveniles were injured when a Toyota Granvia driven by an unlicensed driver burst a tyre and rolled several times.
Survivors said the driver, Reason Moyo, was speeding while fleeing police and Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) roadblocks.
A police source confirmed the incident which occurred near Marula Business Centre along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway around 6PM on Thursday.
Ellen Ndlovu, 41, of Cowdray Park suburb, sustained severe head and body injuries which resulted in her death.
Moyo was among the injured.
His passengers said Moyo first fled from VID officers and later from a police roadblock and from then on maintained a high speed which they tried in vain to warn him about.
They said Moyo kept saying the police and VID officials were pursuing him.
“The vehicle had 14 people in it including the driver. One of the injured persons was referred to UBH (United Bulawayo Hospitals) while three others were treated at Plumtree District Hospital and discharged on the same night,” said a survivor who declined to be named.
One of the survivors who is admitted to Plumtree District Hospital, 38-year-old Peter Mwanetse, said the vehicle rolled several times.
“The left rear tyre burst and the vehicle swerved to the left and then to the right side of the road. It started rolling. I recall trying to grab onto something for balance but I couldn’t find anything.
“When at last the vehicle came to a halt we all scrambled out and the only thing that was on my mind was to get to safety,” said Mwanetse.
He said he sustained deep cuts on the nose and mouth.
Another passenger who was also admitted to the same hospital, Shelton Moyo, said the driver was stopped by VID officers in Plumtree but refused to comply.
He said they proceeded to a road block where traffic officers tried to stop the driver but he sped past.
Moyo said the driver would have been able to control the vehicle if he had been driving at a safe speed.
He said he escaped with slight burns and injuries.
Nomathemba Nyathi, another survivor, said: “Soon after the accident, passersby started looting valuables from bags which were scattered all over while survivors were wailing in agony.”
A number of the passengers said they lost their cellphones, money and other valuables at the scene of the accident.
Online Reporter