A Mutsvanzva Bus driver died on the spot on Monday, while seven other passengers were injured when the bus he was driving overturned a few metres after Pimbi River Bridge along the Harare-Masvingo Road, almost 100 kilometres from the capital.
The bus, which was heading towards Harare, had 42 passengers, the majority of whom escaped unhurt.
Acting National Traffic police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Luckmore Chakanza said the driver, whose name he withheld, lost control of the bus a few metres after passing the bridge and it veered off the road to the left side, overturned and landed on its right side.
Pimbi River has been dubbed a black spot after a series of accidents that claimed several lives in recent years.
In 2009, 37 people were killed, while 29 others were injured when a Mhunga bus they were travelling in was involved in an accident with a lorry as the driver tried to avoid a haulage truck that had stopped in the middle of the road just after the bridge.
All the victims — 15 men, 15 women and seven children — died on the spot, while the injured were taken to hospitals in Harare. In April 2007, 10 cross-border traders were killed, while 31 others were injured when a Capital Express bus veered off Pimbi River Bridge and crashed into the river bed.
In December of the same year, 12 members of a Harare family died on the same spot, while three others sustained serious injuries when their truck collided with a Mhunga bus.
Meanwhile, police released five names of the seven family members, including a three-year-old girl, who died on the spot in Gweru on Sunday afternoon when their Toyota Corolla was involved in an accident with a bus, resulting in part of the driver’s side of the vehicle being ripped off.
They are Admire Maposa (30), Mary Ndiro (3), Tsitsi Maposa (55), Delight Ndiro (25) and Jerry Ndiro (45). Asst Insp Chakanza said the other two women had not been identified. He said the two had no identification particulars and police were still making efforts to identify them.
“Investigations have also revealed that the cause of the accident was as a result of speeding,” he said.
Asst Insp Chakanza appealed to motorists to continue exercising caution when travelling on the country’s major roads and abide by all the regulations. The seven were on their way from a family function in Mberengwa.
According to witnesses, the driver of the Toyota Corolla, which was heading towards Gweru, lost control of the vehicle, straddled the white centre line before sideswiping with the Shurugwi-bound bus. The Herald
