By Victor Fanuel
Harare – 17 people have died following a horrific head-on collision between a haulage truck and a commuter omnibus at Hunyani Bridge along Seke Road in Chitungwiza, police confirmed on Tuesday.
National police spokesperson commissioner Paul Nyathi said the accident occurred early Tuesday morning when a truck travelling towards Harare veered into oncoming traffic, struck two pedestrians, and collided with a Nissan Caravan kombi.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms that 17 people died after a haulage truck travelling towards the Harare Central Business District with two occupants on board lost control and veered onto the oncoming lane,” said Nyathi. “
“The truck hit two pedestrians who were walking on the island of the road. The pedestrians died on the spot.”
The truck then rammed into the kombi, which was carrying 17 passengers en route to Chitungwiza.
The force of the collision caused the truck to drag the kombi off the road before overturning and landing on top of it, crushing the vehicle and trapping several passengers.
“Fifteen occupants who were in the kombi, including the driver, died on the spot while four others, (three from the kombi and one from the truck), were injured,” Nyathi added.
The deceased include 10 females and seven males.
The injured were rushed to Chitungwiza Hospital, where they are receiving treatment.
The bodies of the victims were taken to the same hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Police said investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, and more information will be released in due course.
The crash is one of the deadliest in recent months and has once again highlighted the need for tighter enforcement of road safety regulations on Zimbabwe’s highways.
