A head-on collision between two haulage trucks along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway yesterday resulted in a pile-up of vehicles. Four vehicles were completely destroyed by fire as a result of the accident, including two trucks, a Honda Fit, and a Nissan Almera.
The incident took place near the Chivi Turn-Off tollgate at the 55km peg. The number of people in the affected vehicles or any potential casualties is yet to be confirmed.
The Fire Brigade managed to extinguish the fire, but not before it had caused extensive damage to the two haulage trucks. Nearby villagers were alarmed by the thick black smoke emanating from the site and rushed to the scene to offer assistance.
Police and other good Samaritans transported the survivors to Chivi District Hospital for evaluation. Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa, the Masvingo provincial police spokesperson, stated that investigations into the incident were ongoing and that it was not yet clear if there were any casualties. The Herald quotes him as saying:
We have our team at the scene right now and as of now we don’t know whether there have been any deaths, how many people were in all the vehicles and what caused the accident.
The Fire Brigade has managed to put out the fire and all the four vehicles were severely burnt and our teams are now closely investigating to see if there were any deaths because some of the survivors and witnesses are giving conflicting statements.
Inspector Dhewa stated that it is the norm for accident survivors to undergo medical examinations, even if it is just to address shock. He further commented that a complete understanding of the situation will only be possible once the investigation teams have concluded their work at the site.
The available information suggests that two haulage trucks collided head-on while two small vehicles following one of the trucks caught fire and were destroyed. The Honda Fit and Nissan Almera were also reduced to ashes. Inspector Dhewa added that the details are still incomplete, and they are awaiting the conclusion of the investigation now that the fire on the affected vehicles has been extinguished.