The owner of Timboom Bus Company Tinoziva Tsvangirai availed ZWL$2.5 million for the victims of a road traffic accident that claimed the lives of more than a dozen people and left others with nursing injuries in Chivhu on Sunday morning.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the Tinboom Coaches bus was carrying 60 passengers, 13 died, and 40 sustained injuries, of which 27 were treated and discharged. 8 are still admitted at Chivhu Hospital, whilst 5 were transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital.
However, on Sunday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the bus had 40 passengers on board.
In a statement on Monday, Tsvangirai said the company will do its best to ensure that the deceased get a befitting send-off. Said Tsvangirai:
With a profound feeling of grief and sorrow, Tinboom Coaches’ management and staff hereby condole the families of the people who perished in the horrific crash involving one of our buses on April 16, 2023, in Chivhu district. Our prayers and thoughts are with the families of the deceased.
As we continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities in their quest to establish the cause of the catastrophic accident which has so far claimed 13 lives, we would like to pledge our full support to the bereaved families.
We will do our utmost best to ensure that their dear departed get a befitting send-off while at the same time taking active steps to avoid the recurrence of such an accident.
Survivors who spoke to The Herald on Monday attributed the fatal accident to speeding and bad weather.
Speaking to the media during the hospital visit, one of the survivors Kenneth Makonese, said:
I think the driver of the bus was speeding. The bus started to swerve and in an instant veered off the road.
I saw the bus crashing and from there, I saw myself outside the bus.
I was with my young brother and my son. So I started looking for them, though I was in pain.
I stepped on the wheel of the bus and looked inside but they were not there.
I continued searching outside, and that is when I saw my young brother lying on the ground.
I rushed there and discovered that he was unconscious. I tried to remove his shoes and shirt, and that is when I saw him bleeding from the nose and mouth.
I knew from that moment that he was not going to make it. When we arrived at the hospital, that is when I was told that he had passed away.
I am in pain. My leg is fractured, and I have chest pains. I am also in pain because my brother is no more. May his soul rest in peace.
Another survivor Chrispen Makonese attributed the accident to overspeeding and inclement weather. He said:
When we approached a curve, just before the accident occurred, the bus swerved to the right, and in that instant, the driver tried to control it, and it made another swerve to the left.
The bus then swerved again to the right and it veered off the road. Also, the weather was bad. It was showering and misty and speeding was not a good idea.
In an instant, I just found myself lying on the ground, outside the bus, injured. Other passengers were also outside, some were unconscious, while others were crying, it was just a horrific sight, I do not know how I came outside the bus, but I guess I was thrown outside the window.
I injured my right hand, and I am in pain, but I thank God I am alive.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengi called for stiffer penalties for drivers who break road rules and regulations.
The Government has since declared the accident a national disaster.
This means that the Government will provide support towards the burial of the deceased, and also support towards the injured.
More: Pindula News