The overloaded Toyota Regius vehicle was on its way from Gwanda when it got involved in the fatal accident after a rear tyre burst near Kensington suburb just outside the city. Seven people died on the spot while the eighth person died on his way to hospital.
“What happened is that ,the driver lost control after a rear tyre burst killing seven people on the spot. But for further details you can talk to our national office I have forwarded everything there,” Bulawayo Police Spokesperson Mandlenkosi Moyo told The Zimbabwean.
When The Zimbabwean visited the accident scene, police and fire brigade officers were busy retrieving bodies from the vehicle wreckage while ambulances were ferrying the injured to hospital.
Hundreds of Zimbabweans including some senior government leaders have perished in road accidents that experts have largely blamed on the poor state of roads and human error.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe Traffic Police show that road accident fatalities have increases from 35 deaths per thousand accidents to 45 deaths per thousand accidents.
According to the Ministry of Transport, 30 percent of the country’s roads require rehabilitation, while the remainder needs periodic maintenance.
Zimbabwe introduced tollgates in August 2009 as a way of mobilising resources for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the country’s road network, but not much has been achieved so far.
Post published in: News