THIRTEEN people believed to be Zimbabweans died after a commuter omnibus they were travelling in rammed into a stationary truck outside Musina, South Africa, yesterday.
Report by Staff Reporter
The deceased were coming from Pretoria heading towards Zimbabwe along N1 road in Limpopo.
Musina police spokesperson Ronel Otto told South African media that 12 people had died on the spot, while the other one died in hospital.
“No children were involved and we are also following up on information that all the people who died are from Zimbabwe,” Otto was quoted saying. He said six other people were said to have suffered serious injuries.
The commuter omnibus is said to have rammed into a truck which was stuck in the middle of the road.
The kombi driver’s identity could not be established and names of the deceased were yet to be released as their next of kin were yet to be notified.
The N1 highway, which links Zimbabwe and South Africa, has of late turned into a death trap and several Zimbabweans have been killed in accidents occurring along that stretch.
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Last year, close to 30 Zimbabweans were killed there in road accidents in the area.
The N1 Highway is the busiest road in South Africa as it links that country with the rest of Africa.
Zimbabwe’s consulate in South Africa could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, five people died on the spot while nine others were seriously injured when a truck they were travelling in overturned at the 30km peg along the Gokwe-Nemangwe road just outside Gokwe Town Centre on Wednesday morning.
The injured were taken to Gokwe district hospital.
Assistant Midlands provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said the accident involved a Nissan Hardbody truck with 14 passengers on board.
“The Nissan Hardbody was being driven by Taingana Nyoni (34) towards Gokwe from Siabhuwa when it disengaged gears. It started rolling backwards and landed on its back, trapping passengers,” Mahoko said.
Police declined to disclose the deceased’s identities saying their next of kin were yet to be informed.
