A devastating head-on collision involving two South African registered haulage trucks on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road claimed the lives of two drivers on Wednesday night. The incident occurred at the 60 kilometre peg, leaving both vehicles engulfed in flames.
The Bulawayo Fire Brigade received a distress call at 23:30 hours and arrived at the scene at 00:14 hours, according to acting chief fire officer Mr Mhlangano Moyo.
“The trucks had collided head-on in the centre of the highway and caught fire on impact,” he explained.
Firefighters found the vehicles ablaze and discovered the charred remains of the drivers trapped within the wreckage.
“The fire brigade observed a body burnt beyond recognition from each haulage truck, so we assume they were the drivers, but we will wait for conclusive investigations to determine the identity of the deceased,” said Mr Moyo.
Preliminary investigations suggest that neither truck was carrying passengers at the time of the accident. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, but initial reports indicate that the truck travelling towards Victoria Falls was on the wrong side of the road.
The fire brigade, equipped with specialised equipment, battled the inferno and retrieved the burnt remains of the victims.
“We used two high pressure hose reels and one jet to extinguish the fire, and also used jaws of life rescue tools to gain access to remove the bodies from the entangled wreckage,” said Mr Moyo.
The road was cordoned off by the fire brigade to ensure safe operations during the rescue and firefighting efforts. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with road travel and the importance of responsible driving practices.
The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road has witnessed a number of fatal accidents in recent years, highlighting the need for increased safety measures and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations. However, the road is now in very bad shape due to negligence for decades. It has too many potholes and literally no longer qualifies to be meet highway standards even at Zimbabwean levels.
President Mnangagwa’s government says it is tirelessly working on rehabilitating the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway as smooth accessibility to the tourism capital is critical in the attainment of a U$5 billion tourism economy and Vision 2030 goals, a Government official has said.
Good roads are seen as key economic enablers, which should help Zimbabwe’s drive towards attainment of Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle income economy.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo Victoria Falls Highway is a strategic trade route on the regional north-to-south corridor, linking Zimbabwe with South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia as well as the DRC.
The Government declared the state of road infrastructure in the country a state of emergency following heavy and destructive rains in the last two years.
To that end, one of the leading road construction firms — Bitumen World has been engaged to carry out roadworks
