Zimbabwe Minibus Crash Kills 27 Churchgoers
Zimbabwe Minibus Crash Kills 27 Churchgoers
The News
At least 27 people were killed when a minibus taxi carrying church members collided head-on with a haulage truck in central Zimbabwe, police said Saturday.
Police spokesman Paul Nyathi said the truck was trying to overtake another vehicle when it hit the minibus. The passengers belonged to a popular African Christian denomination and were traveling to a conference.
The Sun reported seven people were also injured in the collision.
Timeline
The truck and the minibus taxi collide near Chivhu, roughly 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of the capital, Harare, on a flat, remote stretch of road, according to police.
Police spokesman Paul Nyathi announces the death toll and the cause. State broadcaster ZBC News, citing a provincial government minister, reports that 23 people died at the scene and the rest died after being admitted to a local hospital.
ZBC footage circulating on social media shows the minibus burned to a charred shell, with the truck on the opposite side of the road.
Reactions
Zimbabwean police laid out the sequence publicly and quickly, with Nyathi attributing the crash to the truck's attempt to pass another vehicle.
A provincial government minister, quoted by the state broadcaster, accounted for where the victims died — most at the roadside, others in the hospital.
Zimbabwe's roads have drawn sustained criticism at home. They are riddled with potholes after years of underfunding and neglect, and the privately run minibus taxis that most Zimbabweans depend on — known locally as kombis — are frequently criticized for overloading.
What's Next
Police have not announced arrests or charges. The injured are being treated at a local hospital, and the death toll could rise.
More
The crash is the latest in a string of mass-casualty wrecks on Zimbabwe's highways. In April, at least 18 people were killed when a minibus burst into flames on a highway in the south of the country. Earlier that same month, a woman and her five children died when their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on a highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.
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