At Least 27 Killed in Zimbabwe Church Bus Crash

Minibus carrying worshippers collides head-on with truck near Chivhu

At least 27 people were killed on Friday evening after a minibus carrying churchgoers collided head-on with a haulage truck in central Zimbabwe, police said Saturday.

The crash happened at around 1830 GMT near Chivhu, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) south of Harare, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

How the crash happened
Police said the foreign-registered truck was overtaking another vehicle when it veered into the path of the oncoming minibus.

The minibus was transporting worshippers to a church conference. Both vehicles were carrying an “unknown” number of passengers, police added.

Seven people were injured and taken to hospital.

Footage shared by public broadcaster ZBC showed the minibus reduced to a charred shell, with the truck resting on the opposite side of the road. The accident occurred on a flat, remote stretch lined with low vegetation and open terrain.

—-A pattern of deadly crashes—

Traffic accidents are frequent in Zimbabwe, where years of underfunding have left many roads riddled with potholes. Poor driving standards and vehicle overloading have also been blamed.

For daily transport, many Zimbabweans rely on privately run minibuses, known locally as kombis, which are often criticised for carrying more passengers than they should.

The latest tragedy follows two other fatal crashes in April:
– 18 people killed when a minibus burst into flames on a southern highway
– A woman and her five children died after their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on the highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims in the Chivhu crash. Investigations are ongoing.

_Source: AFP_