A horrific accident on the Harare-Bulawayo Highway on Monday has claimed the lives of two people and left another seriously injured.
The accident, which occurred at the 75km peg, involved a Blue Circle bus and a stationary truck.
The bus was carrying 50 passengers and travelling from Harare to Bulawayo when it collided with a broken-down truck that was being attended to by its owner, Ilot Moyo (45). The impact of the collision sent the bus veering off the road, first to the right and then to the left, before it finally came to a halt after hitting a tree.
“The first party was the driver of the bus Owen Tendai Kuvheya (36) and the second party was Ilot Moyo (45), who was attending to his truck at the 75km peg. The bus had 50 passengers on board, coming from Harare to Bulawayo,” confirmed Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena.
“When reaching the spot, there was a broken down truck which was being attended to by Moyo. The bus came from behind, hit the truck, veered off the road first to the right, then to the left and only stopped after hitting a tree,” Inspector Mangena explained.
The force of the impact tragically ejected two passengers from the bus, who died instantly at the scene. Another passenger was seriously injured and was rushed to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for treatment.
“Two passengers were thrown out of the bus and died on the spot. The other one was injured and was then taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH),” Inspector Mangena said.
Moyo, who was attending to his truck at the time of the accident, sustained injuries to his arm and was also taken to UBH for medical attention.
While confirming the accident, Inspector Mangena declined to release the names of the deceased before notifying their next of kin. Police are currently investigating the cause of the accident to determine what led to the tragic collision.
The accident exposes the dangers that lurk on our roads. It highlights the need for increased vigilance and adherence to traffic regulations to prevent such tragedies from occurring. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this accident. We wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.
