News / National
Breaking News: Zimbabwe fuel tanker explosion, 23 dead
30 Oct 2013 at 11:12hrs | Views
The Mazda T35 truck on fire this morning.
Twenty one people are feared dead after a fuel tanker collided with a lorry and exploded into flames in Chisumbanje near Chipinge on Wednesday morning.
Witnesses said a lorry, Mazda T35 truck, which was carrying mourners to Manzvire Village in Chisumbanje side-swiped an ethanol tanker resulting in it exploding and burning most of the victims.
The accident happened at Manzvire, 15 kilometres from Checheche Growth Point.
Manicaland police traffic coordinator Superintendent Mukahanana confirmed the accident which occurred at around 7am in Chisumbanje.
He said all the passengers in the T35 truck, including the driver, were burnt to death.
Police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said investigations are under way as to determine the cause of the accident.
Eye witnesses said firefighters were still battling to contain the fire and the bodies of the deceased are yet to be retrieved from the flames.
A coffin with a corpse which was in the T 35 truck was also burnt.
According to an eyewitness, Claris Madhuku of Platform for Youth Development, the T35 collided head on with a Greenfuel tanker, which was going to Harare, resulting in the tanker exploding.
According to Madhuku,23 people have died.
21 people were burnt to death on the accident spot and two more died on the way to the hospital.
Greenfuel has issued a condolence message to the deceased familes.
"Green Fuel joins the Chisumbanje community, the nation at large and most importantly the families of the deceased, in mourning the lives tragically lost in a road accident which occurred today in Chipinge South, along the Tanganda - Chiredzi highway near Checheche.
"As we come to terms with the devastating aftermath of this tragedy, we convey our sincere heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased."
Fuel tanker explosions, which are rare in Zimbabwe, have occurred elsewhere in Africa with devastating consequences. In a February 2009 explosion in Kenya, 111 people who were siphoning fuel from an overturned tanker were killed. In March 2010, 230 people were killed in a fuel tanker blast in the Democratic Republic of Congo
More details to follow
Witnesses said a lorry, Mazda T35 truck, which was carrying mourners to Manzvire Village in Chisumbanje side-swiped an ethanol tanker resulting in it exploding and burning most of the victims.
The accident happened at Manzvire, 15 kilometres from Checheche Growth Point.
Manicaland police traffic coordinator Superintendent Mukahanana confirmed the accident which occurred at around 7am in Chisumbanje.
He said all the passengers in the T35 truck, including the driver, were burnt to death.
Police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said investigations are under way as to determine the cause of the accident.
Eye witnesses said firefighters were still battling to contain the fire and the bodies of the deceased are yet to be retrieved from the flames.
A coffin with a corpse which was in the T 35 truck was also burnt.
According to an eyewitness, Claris Madhuku of Platform for Youth Development, the T35 collided head on with a Greenfuel tanker, which was going to Harare, resulting in the tanker exploding.
According to Madhuku,23 people have died.
21 people were burnt to death on the accident spot and two more died on the way to the hospital.
Greenfuel has issued a condolence message to the deceased familes.
"Green Fuel joins the Chisumbanje community, the nation at large and most importantly the families of the deceased, in mourning the lives tragically lost in a road accident which occurred today in Chipinge South, along the Tanganda - Chiredzi highway near Checheche.
"As we come to terms with the devastating aftermath of this tragedy, we convey our sincere heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased."
Fuel tanker explosions, which are rare in Zimbabwe, have occurred elsewhere in Africa with devastating consequences. In a February 2009 explosion in Kenya, 111 people who were siphoning fuel from an overturned tanker were killed. In March 2010, 230 people were killed in a fuel tanker blast in the Democratic Republic of Congo
More details to follow
Source - herald - newsday
