ONE person died while four others were seriously injured when a Toyota Estima they were travelling in burst a tyre, veered off the road and plunged into the riverbed of the dry Gwayi River near the 25km peg along Plumtree Road on Tuesday. PATIENCE RATAMBWA/ MAMELO NKOMO
Bulawayo chief fire officer Richard Peterson confirmed the accident and said it happened at around 3pm when the Botswana-registered car, carrying five people and destined for the neighbouring country, rolled several times before plunging onto the riverbed.
The driver lost control of her vehicle and it rolled twice before landing on its wheels, trapping two passengers who were later rescued by firemen from the Bulawayo Fire brigade several minutes later.
The driver, (name withheld, because her next of kin have not yet been informed) died on the spot and her body was taken to Figtree Police Station.
The other passengers who were who were trapped inside the vehicle were seriously injured and were taken to Cyrene Hospital for medical assistance.
Matabeleland South Police spokesperson Philisani Ndebele could not confirm the accident as he was not at work, but referred questions to Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, who was not reachable.
Meanwhile, a man sustained serious injuries after the truck he was driving veered off the road and hit a tree near the 42km peg along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, as he tried to avoid a pothole at around 10pm on Tuesday.
He was trapped inside the damaged truck for hours before being rescued by firemen, who ferried him to Mpilo Central Hospital.
