THIRTEEN people died while 18 others were seriously injured when a Harare-bound Zupco bus travelling from Malawi was side-swiped by a haulage truck and plunged into Mtuli River at the 22km peg along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway on Monday night.
WINSTONE ANTONIO OWN CORRESPONDENT
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said 10 people from the bus died on the spot while three others died on admission to Parirenyatwa Hospital.
He said the bus, which had 43 passengers on board, veered off the road and plunged into Mtuli River after it was side-swiped by a Mujawo Transport International truck which was travelling in the opposite direction.
The accident came a few days before the Heroes’ and Defence Forces holidays which are usually bloody. It also occurred barely 24 hours after three people died on the spot, while 14 others were seriously injured when a kombi overturned and rolled three times along Old Esigodini Road near Rio Hotel in Bulawayo.
On Sunday, four people were killed while nine sustained serious injuries when a Toyota Granvia they were travelling in veered off the road, overturned and rolled before smashing into a tree at the 95km peg along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Road.
Police said preliminary investigations in the latest accident revealed that the truck driver, Wonderford Nyamarumbe, stopped his vehicle just after the bridge after noticing some clothes dumped in the middle of the road.
“The driver alleges that he stopped his truck thinking that there were people sleeping on the road and then started reversing his vehicle in order to avoid running over the objects,” Nyathi said.
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According to the truck driver, he saw these clothes in the middle of the road.
Pictures by Shepherd Tozvireva
