Villagers in the Zvamahande area of Mashava, under Chief Bere in Masvingo, shared harrowing accounts of a tragic plane crash that occurred in their vicinity yesterday morning. The crash claimed the lives of all six passengers on board.
The Cessna plane, owned by the Murowa Diamond Company, crashed at approximately 8 a.m. The Murowa Diamond Company is a subsidiary of Rio Zim, the owner of the Murowa gem mine in Zvishavane.
According to the police, the red and white Cessna Zcam aircraft was en route to Murowa in Zvishavane when it crashed approximately 6 kilometers outside of Mashava town.
Last night, National Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi released a statement confirming the tragic incident. He revealed that out of the six victims, four were foreign nationals while two were Zimbabweans. The aircraft had departed from Harare at 6 a.m. and crashed near Mashava while heading to Murowa Mine.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi assured the public that more information regarding the crash would be shared in due course.
RioZim, in a statement, confirmed the crash and expressed their collaboration with the relevant authorities to gather more information. They stated that further details would be shared once the next of kin had been notified, expressing their condolences to the affected families.
Stunned villagers from Zvamahande and Mashava gathered at the crash site, accompanied by law enforcement officials and members of the Masvingo City Council Fire Brigade. Together, they sifted through the wreckage of the Cessna plane, recovering dismembered human body parts.
Amidst the gruesome scene, some courageous villagers assisted the police in locating scattered body parts, which were found within a 20-meter radius of the crash site. The main wreckage of the mangled Cessna aircraft lay in ruins.
To preserve the integrity of the investigation, the police cordoned off the area, ensuring that the body parts and wreckage remained undisturbed until the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe investigators arrived.
Eyewitnesses reported suspicions of a mechanical fault while the plane was still in the air above the Zvamahande area. Mr. Elias Bvudzo, who was the first to arrive at the crash site, recalled hearing a strange loud noise from the plane, indicating that something might have been wrong mechanically. The plane circled momentarily before ultimately crashing. Unfortunately, all occupants had perished.
“I was on my way to morning prayers just before 8am when I saw the plane coming from the north east direction,” he said. “It was making a strange loud noise that we are not used to hear when planes pass through this area and it crossed my mind that something was wrong mechanically.
“Within minutes, the plane started circling at the same place and then crashed.
“I rushed to the crash site only to discover that all the persons inside had died. I phoned other villagers since there was nothing that I could do.”
Prince Ncube (20) of Zavidze village under Chief Bere confirmed hearing the strange noise from the plane before it crashed.
“I was sleeping around 7.30am when I heard a strange noise from the plane that was overhead, a short distance from our homestead, but I just ignored it and continued with my sleep only to be woken up by noise from neighbours who were saying there had been a plane crash,” he said.
“I rushed to the crash site with others, but what we saw was true horror. I have never seen such a gory sight in my life. I noticed that there had been no survivor from the plane as some human body parts hung on tree branches and shrubs.
“These gory images will take long to be erased from my memory.”
The tragic incident left a lasting impact on the villagers who witnessed the horrifying aftermath. The sound of the plane, the gory sight of scattered body parts, and the absence of survivors deeply affected the community.
