Nine people died, while 12 others were injured in a fatal road traffic accident that occurred on Monday evening along the Harare-Chirundu Highway. The accident involved a Nissan Caravan and Honda Fit vehicles that collided head-on.
The injured are currently receiving medical treatment at Sally Mugabe Central and Inkomo hospitals. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Norton Hospital Mortuary for post-mortem.
Yesterday, the national police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, released a statement confirming the fatal road traffic accident. He said:
The ZRP confirms a fatal road traffic accident in which nine people died whilst twelve others were injured when a Nissan Caravan vehicle with yet to be established passengers on board was involved in a head on collision with a Honda Fit vehicle with seven passengers on board at the 53 kilometre peg along Harare-Chirundu Road on 03/07/23 at around 1800 hours. The bodies of the victims were taken to Norton Hospital Mortuary for post-mortem whilst the injured are admitted at Inkomo and Sally Mugabe Hospitals.
In a separate incident that occurred on the same day, three people died, and four others sustained injuries when a Toyota Hilux vehicle with nine passengers on board veered off the road and hit the trailer of a Mthethi Dragon Bus with six passengers on board. The bodies of the victims were taken to Gwanda Provincial Hospital mortuary for post-mortem, while the injured are admitted to the same hospital.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi urged the public to avoid boarding pirate taxis and called on drivers to follow road rules and avoid reckless driving, which causes unnecessary loss of lives. He emphasized the importance of road safety and urged everyone to take responsibility for their safety and that of others when using the roads.