Maravi

Passengers escape unhurt as bus hits elephant

Passengers escape unhurt as bus hits elephant
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Thu 21 June 2012, 13:23 CAT

ABOUT 16 passengers, mainly cross-border traders, travelling from Zimbabwe on Monday night escaped death on the Musi-o-Tunya Road when the minibus they were in rammed into an elephant.

The driver of the mangled Toyota Hiace minibus registration number AJB 7252, which is currently parked at the Livingstone Central Police Station, is alleged to have been speeding when he hit into the back of the elephant.

Confirming the accident, Southern Province police commissioner Brenda Muntemba said the accident happened around 19:30 hours.

"The elephant was not found after it was hit by the bus; this you have to call Zambia Wildlife Authority. It is most likely that the driver was speeding looking at the time of the accident. No one died in the accident and most of the passengers were attended to at the hospital and discharged," Muntemba said.

And chief Mukuni cautioned tour operators, taxi and minibus operators to be mindful of the speed limits when driving from the Victoria Falls as many parts of the road passed through elephant corridors.

And a ZAWA official who sought anonymity said the elephant was said to have been knocked down by the impact of the minibus.

"Looking at the side of the damage on the vehicle we concluded that the elephant was crossing the road towards the river and the driver tried to avoid it by swerving to the right. We have conducted patrols to try and locate the animal as it is definitely injured and may be deadly if it comes across human beings," said the official .

Labels: CAR ACCIDENTS, ELEPHANTS

posted by MrK @ 4:18 PM