Fourteen Children Among 28 Killed In Chivhu Road Crash
Fourteen children were among 28 people killed in a road crash along Zimbabwe’s Harare-Masvingo Road last week, police said on Tuesday as they released the names of victims.
The crash occurred at about 8.30pm on August 28 at the 132km peg along the Harare-Masvingo Road. The death toll reached 28 after one of the injured passengers later died at Chitungwiza General Hospital.
Police said three of the victims remained unidentified after their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
“The remaining three victims were burnt beyond recognition and their identities have not been conclusively established,” police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.
He said the Criminal Investigation Department’s Forensic Department had obtained samples from the unidentified remains for analysis.
Nyathi said the names of the three victims would only be released after DNA examinations had positively confirmed their identities.
Families Lose Multiple Relatives
The crash has left several families mourning multiple relatives, with some losing as many as five members.
The Magiya family from Chakahwata Village in Seke lost five members: 39-year-old Mellisa Magiya and her children Tanaka, 11, Talent, 13, Adiel, two, and Nenyasha, four.
Four members of the Bonda family from Zhanje Village in Dema also died. They were Rumbidzai Kashongo Bonda, 29, and her children Believe, 10, Tavonga, eight, and Tehila, two.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Treasury Faces Questions Over US$27.3 Million Cancer Equipment Spending
Four members of the Chikaka family were also among those killed: Wisdom, 10, Kuzivakwashe, 12, Tariro, 14, and Shamiso, eight.
Other children identified among the victims were 13-year-old Wisdom Masava, nine-year-old Devine Masava and two-year-old Tawanda Mupandawana.
The other victims identified by their families were Jonathan Marahwa, 34; Moline Chamboko, 57; Plaxedes Nyamayaro, 68; Humfrey Chikaka, 44; Lizzy Nhema, 38; Idyai Munyanyiwa, 52; Bernenia Zvomuya, 63; Christine Nyakuzviranga, 68; and Itai Fusirai, 46.
Police Renew Warning Over Night Travel
The crash has become one of Zimbabwe’s deadliest road disasters this year and has prompted renewed warnings about the risks associated with travelling at night.
Police urged members of the public to avoid night travel, citing difficulties with visibility and observation.
Authorities also appealed to church leaders and conference organisers to ensure that congregants and other participants do not travel at night where such journeys can be avoided.
The investigation into the crash and the identification of the remaining victims are continuing.
