Maravi

34 die in Nyimba road accident

34 die in Nyimba road accident
By Christopher Miti in Chipata and Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Lusaka
Thu 28 July 2011, 10:00 CAT

THIRTY-four people died yesterday when a Lusaka-bound Zambia-Malawi bus collided head-on with a truck belonging to Kavulamungu in Nyimba area of Eastern Province.

Police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana who confirmed the accident that occurred yesterday at 07:40 hours, said the road crash claimed 28 people on the spot while two died on the way to the hospital, with other deaths occurring at Nyimba District Hospital.

Siamana said the accident occurred at a curve near Mchimanzi Basic School in Nyimba and was caused when the two vehicles collided in the middle of the road, resulting in the truck being completely burnt together with its four passengers.

She identified the two vehicles as a passenger bus registration number ABL 5441 driven by George Siame of Lusaka’s Matero township and the truck with registration number ABZ 5257.

Siame was by press time battling for his life in Nyimba District Hospital together with other 56 passengers, according to Siamana.

“Both drivers were wrong as the collision happened in the middle of the road on the white line,” Siamana said. “So far ,the bodies are lying in Nyimba and Petauke district hospital mortuaries.”
Siamana said the death toll was exacerbated by overloading on the bus.

Separately, Eastern Province permanent secretary Eularia Mwale said the accident occurred when the bus wanted to overtake another bus but ended up colliding with an oncoming truck that was carrying lime.

“This is a very bad accident, the bus that has the capacity of carrying 70 people had 88 passengers on board and the truck which was supposed to carry two people had 6 people,” Mwale said. “Four people from the truck had been burnt beyond recognition. This bus wanted to overtake the other bus, but it collided with the truck which ripped the other side of the bus thereby throwing the passengers all over the place and the truck got burnt.”

She said a number of the survivors were critically injured.

Mwale urged drivers to desist from overloading.

“I urge drivers to desist from overloading and the passengers should also avoid overloaded buses. There are so many buses so they should avoid such buses,” said Mwale.

And Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia vicar-general Fr Dennis Milanzi who was travelling to Lusaka on a different bus described the accident as ‘very serious’.

Fr Milanzi said the bus overturned after colliding with the truck.

“I was on Johabie Express and we were following the bus which was involved in an accident, so I actually did not see what transpired, but I can say Nyimba police came in very fast and I saw the DC (Colonel Jeremiah Mbawe) on the scene, so I can say reinforcement came very fast,” said Fr Milanzi.

Labels: CAR ACCIDENTS, EASTERN PROVINCE, NDANDULA SIAMANA

posted by MrK @ 2:21 PM