Africa-Press. Twenty-seven people lost their lives in a horrific traffic accident in Zimbabwe after a minibus collided with a freight truck on a main road in the capital, Harare.
The minibus was carrying members of the Apostolic Faith Church, popularly known as “Muzaha,” who were heading to a church conference, while the freight truck was transporting heavy mining equipment.
Twenty-three people died at the scene of the accident, while several victims were trapped inside the minibus after it caught fire, and others were killed when they were pinned under the mining equipment as the truck overturned.
Seven people survived the accident, with two initially admitted to a government hospital, while the other five survivors, who sustained serious injuries, had already been transported there.
Of the 27 deceased, as of Saturday evening, 18 bodies had been identified, while four bodies were burned beyond recognition and will require DNA testing to determine their identities.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police stated that the names of the victims will be announced once the identification process is complete.
In a related announcement, the Zimbabwean president classified the fatal traffic accident that occurred in the Chivhu area on the Harare-Masvingo highway as a national disaster.
This declaration allows the government to mobilize necessary resources and coordinate response efforts to assist affected families.
A government statement indicated that authorities are working closely with relevant parties to gather information and identify the victims whose bodies have been taken to the hospital, in preparation for identification and post-mortem examinations.
This accident comes at a time when the country is in a state of public mourning following the loss of 97 citizens in a ferry capsizing in Lake Kariba (on the border with Zambia) earlier this month.
The ferry incident has been described as the “deadliest” in the history of the country located in southern Africa, surpassing a bus crash in 1991 that claimed 89 lives.
