5 killed in kombi accident

Five people were killed while several others were seriously injured when a Chitungwiza-bound commuter omnibus they were travelling in burst its rear tyre and veered off the road.

The kombi was travelling from Mbare.

Eyewitnesses said the driver lost control of the commuter omnibus after the tyre burst, resulting in the vehicle overturning more than three times and landing on the road.

"l was driving behind and I noticed that the kombi lost its rear tyre and the driver eventually lost control of the vehicle which overturned and faced oncoming traffic.

"One person was thrown out as the kombi overturned.''

The eyewitness who refused to be named said lives could have been saved had emergency services arrived on time.

"Some of the deaths could have been avoided had other motorists paved way for the ambulances, which struggled to come to the accident scene faster because of traffic jam," he said.

"People have no courtesy and do not respect ambulance sirens and these roads should have yellow lines in case of emergencies as that will save lives," said the eyewitness.

He also blamed the use of second hand tyres.

Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba could not be reached on her phone.

The accident comes barely a day after Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo appealed to road users to exercise extreme caution on the roads ahead of the festive season.

"This will reduce and even prevent road carnage and unnecessary loss of lives, which has become a common occurrence during such periods," he said.

"l would like to urge vehicle owners, particularly public transport operators, to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy, and not to overload their vehicles and that they should value the lives of the people they carry to avert road carnage," he said.