Plumtree Road, accident claims two

TWO people believed to be professional hunters, who were travelling to Plumtree died while another is battling for life in hospital after their Toyota Hilux overturned numerous times along Plumtree Road between Mbokodo Abattoir and Traveller's Inn yesterday.

The two who died are said to have succumbed to head injuries. The survivor is said to have suffered serious injuries on his head, arms and legs.

Bulawayo Central District Police Chief Superintendent Leslie Maninge, who was at the scene of the accident, confirmed the death of the two hunters, and said their names would not be revealed because their next of kin were yet to be informed.

"It's sad that we have lost lives again on the road through an accident that could have been prevented. We pray that the sole survivor of this accident will pull through. We cannot reveal the hospital he was taken to because if you interview him the relatives and friends of the deceased will put two and two together.

"We believe that they were hunters because they were in possession of guns which are synonymous with hunters. We have since secured the guns to prevent chances of them being stolen," said Chief Superintendent Maninge.

According to witnesses, the cause of the accident was a Toyota Granvia which was travelling in the same direction with the Toyota Hilux. The driver of the Toyota Granvia that was ahead of the Toyota Hilux is said to have suddenly stopped in the road without giving a warning to the Toyota Hilux which was behind.

In an effort to avoid hitting the Toyota Granvia the driver of the Toyota Hilux is said to have veered to the opposite lane but attempted to hastily return to his lane to avoid a head-on collision after realising that there was an oncoming vehicle.

The sudden change of direction caused the Toyota Hilux to lose balance and spin several times. The rolling of the vehicle violently threw the driver out of the car and dislodged the loading box where two passengers were sitting.

The loading box is said to have been hurled into the air together with the passengers. The loading box fell into a ditch by the side of the road, one of the passengers hit the tarmac head first and the other fell just by the side of the road.

It is suspected that the two passengers are the ones who are deceased but Chief Superintendent Maninge said it was premature to determine.

"The car threw these people violently and they were scattered all over the place so we cannot tell you who was the driver and who were the passengers yet. We are yet to interview the person who survived, only he can tell," he said.

On realising that he had caused a fatal accident the driver of the Toyota Granvia which had Botswana number plates drove away from the scene of the accident at high speed.

Chief Superintendent Maninge was confident that they would catch him.