Eight people died on the spot, while 31 others were injured after a ZUPCO bus they were travelling in was involved in a head-on collision with a fuel tanker near Battlefields along the Harare Bulawayo Highway this Wednesday.
Witnesses said the tanker encroached into the lane of the bus that was coming from Plumtree and bound for Harare.
“The ZRP reports the death of eight people in a fatal road traffic accident which occurred at the 168km peg along Harare-Bulawayo Road between 12 midnight and 1AM on Wednesday when a ZUPCO bus had a collision with a tanker,” national police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.
“Thirty-one people were critically injured and are admitted at Kadoma General Hospital.”
Both drivers died at the scene. Six other people who were occupying the front seats on the bus, including a reserve driver and a conductor, were also killed.
A survivor said: “It was a smooth journey all the way from Plumtree until the tragedy. We had no problems with the driver as he was driving well. In fact, the driver who was involved in the accident had just relieved the other driver in Kwekwe and was not speeding at all.
“It was very unfortunate that this haulage truck driver probably dozed off and it was on a curve and he encroached into our lane. It was a bang followed by screams; a very traumatising to experience.”
