Zimbabwe Declares Bus Accident National Disaster
Local Government Minister Ignatias Chombo and Transport Minister Obert Mpofu on Monday visited dozens of injured passengers who are admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
WASHINGTON DC — The Zimbabwean government on Monday declared the bus accident that killed 26 people at the weekend along the busy Harare-Nyamapanda highway connecting the country to neighboring Malawi, a national disaster. This as police released the names of the victims, including four people from the same family. The crash between two Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) and Pioneer buses on Sunday once again brought the issue of road safety front and center in a country whose road network is just pathetic. Twenty-five people died on the day while one was said to have died Monday, increasing the death toll to 26. Local Government Minister Ignatias Chombo and Transport Minister Obert Mpofu visited dozens of injured passengers who are admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital on Monday. Chombo announced families of the victims will get State aid to take care of funeral axpenses and bury their deceased. While the cause of the horro crash is still under investigation, Mpofu told Studio 7 the government will soon review the maximum speed limit. Zimbabwe has one of the highest road traffic accidents in the Southern African region, raising concern within the communities that say the government is not doing enough to prevent the accidents. Former MDC secretary for transport Elias Mudzuri says the poor state of the roads is primarily to blame for the road carnage, adding the government should fix the roads as fast as possible.