Govt Pledges Assistance For Bereaved Families And Survivors Of Mutare-Marange Road Accident
The Government has pledged to support the survivors and families of the victims of the Mutare-Marange Road accident which claimed six lives on Friday, 12 January 2024.
A haulage truck allegedly lost brakes and rammed into a stationary Mazda BT50 vehicle at the 22 Miles Junction.
The Mazda BT50 vehicle was hit from behind by a haulage truck while giving way to a truck.
The driver of the haulage truck disappeared after the accident and as of Saturday afternoon, had yet to report to the police. The driver of the Mazda vehicle is one of the survivors.
The Mazda vehicle had 17 passengers on board comprising teachers and learners from Mushunje Primary and Wendumba Secondary schools in Mutare rural.
One of the survivors who were admitted to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital told ZBC News that their vehicle was propelled into another truck by the speeding haulage truck. Said the survivor:
When we arrived at the junction our driver stopped to give way to the traffic with the right of way.
A haulage truck lost brakes and hit us from behind pushing us into another haulage truck. I think the accident happened after one as we were coming from the school.
Our vehicle had teachers and students from two schools going back to Mutare.
I was rescued by the fire brigade after being trapped in the car when the accident occurred.
Another survivor said the driver of the haulage truck was speeding and failed to stop at the junction. She said:
I was trapped in the car. I have a headache due to head injuries. I was holding a child and I don’t know how the child survived.
The haulage truck behind us was speeding and could to stop ramming into our car. It is sad that some of the people I was with perished on the spot.
Victoria Chitepo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Dorcas Masanga Mutede told ZBC News that five of the injured are still admitted, while 10 have been discharged.
She said four people died at the scene of the accident, one died en route to the hospital and one died in the ward.
Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Advocate Misheck Mugadza expressed concern over the high numbers of accidents happening which he blamed on negligence and the poor state of vehicles. He added:
As the government, we are assisting the families who lost their relatives in the accident. We pledge our support to them.
We have quickly moved in to establish a command centre to make the services readily available for the bereaved families.
All the departments focusing on the death of the people are here to assist the families of the deceased.
While the Honourable Minister blamed “negligence” and the poor state of vehicles for the accident, the country’s roads are in a poor state, and coupled with overloading as motorists try to cover costs, road accidents result in the death of many people.
More: Pindula News
