By Maxwell Mapungwana
MARONDERA-At least 27 people have been confirmed dead following a horrific head-on collision involving an overloaded commuter omnibus and a heavy haulage truck along the Harare–Masvingo Highway on Friday night.
The tragedy occurred near the Makumimavi area, close to Makumimavi Primary School, about 15 kilometres outside Chivhu Business Centre, said the police.
The crash happened at around the 130-kilometre peg, according to preliminary reports.
The commuter omnibus, which was reportedly carrying members of a local apostolic church, collided head-on with the haulage truck before bursting into flames.
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that 27 people died in the accident.
Earlier, Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Itayi Ndudzo, said 23 people had died at the scene, while others later succumbed to injuries after being admitted to hospital.
Two survivors, including the driver of the haulage truck, were reportedly in critical condition and receiving treatment at a local hospital at the time of writing.
The scale of the tragedy was compounded by reports that the commuter omnibus was overloaded at the time of the crash.
Police and members of the Civil Protection Unit were deployed to the scene to assist with rescue and clearance operations, while investigations are underway to establish the exact circumstances that led to the collision.
Authorities have urged motorists using the Harare–Masvingo Highway, particularly around the Makumimavi and Chivhu areas, to exercise extreme caution and observe road safety regulations.
”It is with deep sadness that we advise you of a tragic accident that occurred last night at the 123km peg along the Harare-Chivhu highway.
A head on collision occurred between two motor vehicles , being a commuter omnibus and a heavy haulage truck resulting in a total of twenty three (23) people losing their lives at the scene .
An additional two(2) persons died on admission at the hospital,” said minister Ndudzo.
He said authorities would release the names of the deceased once the identification process had been completed and the victims’ immediate families notified.
He expressed condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured in the crash.
The accident is the latest in a series of road tragedies to raise concern over road safety in Zimbabwe, with authorities repeatedly warning motorists against speeding, overloading and other dangerous driving practices.
Police and emergency services remained engaged at the scene as investigations into the cause of the deadly collision continued.
