News / Regional
Bus accident, 2 drivers killed
31 Oct 2014 at 02:56hrs | Views
TWO people, both of them drivers, died on the spot when a Zikhali Motors Bus collided with a South Africa-registered haulage truck 20km outside Bulawayo along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road yesterday at around 4am.
The bus was Bulawayo-bound reportedly from Lupane, while the truck was travelling in the Victoria Falls direction.
Several other passengers were injured in the crash, among them two members of the bus crew.
The driver of the bus is said to have tried to avoid a pick-up truck which was parked in the middle of the road and in the process,
he caused a head-on collision with the haulage truck.
Evous Masuku, the owner of the van, which was hit by the bus leading to the head-on collision, said his vehicle ran out of fuel and he parked it by the road side and left to buy fuel.
He said he placed a red gallon behind his vehicle, a danger warning sign showing there was a vehicle parked in the road ahead.
"I was coming from buying fuel at Falls Garage when I saw the bus coming from the Lupane direction at a high speed," Masuku said.
"The bus was travelling at high speed at the same time the driver wanted to avoid hitting my car before realising there was an oncoming truck."
The bus driver then hit the stationery truck, before being forced into the opposing lane, where the two vehicles collided.
It was not yet clear whether there were more deaths from the accident, as many passengers were said to have been severely injured.
National traffic police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome said he had not yet received details of the accident, before he referred all questions to police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi.
Nyathi's mobile phone went unanswered.
The bus was Bulawayo-bound reportedly from Lupane, while the truck was travelling in the Victoria Falls direction.
Several other passengers were injured in the crash, among them two members of the bus crew.
The driver of the bus is said to have tried to avoid a pick-up truck which was parked in the middle of the road and in the process,
he caused a head-on collision with the haulage truck.
Evous Masuku, the owner of the van, which was hit by the bus leading to the head-on collision, said his vehicle ran out of fuel and he parked it by the road side and left to buy fuel.
He said he placed a red gallon behind his vehicle, a danger warning sign showing there was a vehicle parked in the road ahead.
"The bus was travelling at high speed at the same time the driver wanted to avoid hitting my car before realising there was an oncoming truck."
The bus driver then hit the stationery truck, before being forced into the opposing lane, where the two vehicles collided.
It was not yet clear whether there were more deaths from the accident, as many passengers were said to have been severely injured.
National traffic police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome said he had not yet received details of the accident, before he referred all questions to police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi.
Nyathi's mobile phone went unanswered.
Source - Southern Eye
