BY KENNETH NYANGANI/DARLINGTON MWASHITA
Police yesterday released 12 names of the 17 people who perished in a bus accident that occurred near Odzi along the Harare-Mutare Highway on Saturday evening.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi identified 12 people while two other names are being withheld as their next of kin have not yet been notified.
He said three other victims – two females and one male – were still to be identified and urged members of the public to visit Mutare Provincial Hospital to identify the bodies.
Among the people who died in the accident are General Bande Bus driver Emmanuel Munhuwenyu from Mutare and conductor Milton Mayaveni.
Others are Aaron Jambaya, Shanel Dumbura (an infant aged 5 from Mutare), Cecil Vumbunu (54), Irvene Marware from Mutare, Francis Masonza from Mutare, Jane Chikukwa (Rusape), Tanatswa Foroma (Mutare), Zoey Nyanyiwa (65) (Mutare), Sabie Mukweza (75) Mutare, and Tawana Sigauke (Mutare).
Fourteen people died on the spot while three others died on admission at Mutare Provincial Hospital after a haulage truck which was carrying timber was involved in a head-on collision with a General Bande bus.
Police said preliminary investigations indicated that the bus driver was speeding and the bus burst its left front tyre, leading to the
accident.
Meanwhile, two people died on Sunday evening, while four others were seriously injured when a Mitsubishi Colt they were travelling in veered off the road and crashed into a tree after the driver hit a pedestrian along Luveve Road near Josiah Chinamano Primary School, Emakhandeni in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo Fire Brigade senior divisional officer Linos Phiri confirmed the accident yesterday.
“Six people, who were involved in the car accident, are Bukhosibakhe Mlilo (driver), Sibonginkosi Mpofu (24), Senzo Ndebele (32), Modester Zakariya (26), Sibusiso Nyathi, a male juvenile, Prince Ndebele (13) and the pedestrian was not identified,” Phiri said, adding that the driver, who was trapped in the car, died before the Fire Brigade could rescue him.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the accident and urged drivers to exercise caution when driving on wet and slippery roads.
