Mhunga Bus Disaster (August 2009)
| ZUPCO and Unifreight buses accident (January 2015) | |
|---|---|
 Wreckage of the Mhunga Bus which claimed 40 lives | |
| Details | |
| Date | August 2009 |
| Location | Harare-Masvingo Highway |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Bus operator | Mhunga Bus Company |
| Bus owner | Tanda Tavaruva and Sons |
| Cause | Head on collision with a haulage truck |
| Statistics | |
| Deaths | 40 |
| Injuries | 30 |
| Damage | both bus and truck damaged |
Summary
Date: August 2009
Location: Harare-Masvingo Highway
Involved: Mhunga Passenger Bus
Deaths: 40
Injuries: 30 injured
Cause of Accident: Broken down Haulage Truck
Details
The allegedly overloaded Mhunga Bus was travelling from Harare to Masvingo was involved in an accident after the driver had tried to avoid a haulage truck which had broken down in the middle of the road. The crush killed 40 people and injured 30 more.[1] The bus driver, who survived the crash, swerved right to overtake and went right into the path of an on-coming truck operated by SRS Trucking Company. In a desperate dash to avoid a collision, he steered the bus further to the right intending to go completely off-road but his bus grazed the left side of the on-coming truck – taking impact away from both drivers who survived. Air Force of Zimbabwe helicopters helped ferry the injured to Chivhu and Beatrice General Hospitals which were immediately overwhelmed.[2]
The accident was said to have occured at a spot close to where the former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his wife suffered a road accident in 2008. The place began to be known as the Tsvangirai Highway.[1] This accident resulted in authorities and members of the general public requesting the government to revoke Mhunga Bus Company's licence after a series of accidents which claimed more lives. One chief Musarurwa was quoted as saying, “We appeal to the authorities to do something about Mhunga Bus Company. We can not continue to lose lives through the same bus. This is a second horrible accident from the same company in less than 3 months”.[3] Soon after the accident, the then Transport Minister Nicholas Goche announced the company's permit had been revoked and all its buses grounded. [2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 , fourth Mhunga Bus Disaster Kills 40,Nehanda Radio, published:3 Aug 2009,retrieved:19 Jan 2015"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 L. Nkathazo, Mhunga crash death toll rises to 40,publisher, published:3 Aug 2009,retrieved:23 Jan 205"
- ↑ , 40 now dead, National bus Disaster declared,ZimDiaspora, published:3 Aug 2009,retrieved:23 Jan 2015"
