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Leonard Ncube [email protected]

TWO people died while 51 others sustained varying degrees of injuries when a tipper truck they were travelling in was involved in an accident in Hwange on Friday.
Police said it is suspected that the driver, Ephraim Manguruwe (26) of the Nkulumane suburb in Bulawayo, was speeding.
The accident occurred near 5 Miles, 3km outside Hwange town, just before 7 pm on Friday.
Police said the deceased died on the spot.

Posting on the official ZRP X page, police confirmed the accident.
“The ZRP confirms a fatal road traffic accident which occurred at the 330-kilometres along Bulawayo -Victoria Falls Road on 06/12/24 at around 1840 hours. Two people were killed while 51 others were injured when a Shackman Tipper truck carrying 69 passengers overturned and landed on its left side. 16 passengers escaped unhurt. The bodies of the victims were taken to Hwange Colliery Hospital mortuary for post-mortem while the injured were admitted to the same hospital,” said the police.

Police have provided names of the deceased and injured who were rushed to the mortuary and hospital respectively.

The driver was driving a Shackman Tipper truck owned by Cha Chinese Construction Company with 69 passengers employed at Crack 9, five Miles Hwange.
Police said on approaching the 330km peg, the driver tried to avoid a pothole and lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road to the left and back to the road where it rolled once, landing on its left side in the centre of the road.
The vehicle was damaged.

The occupants were thrown out of the vehicle.
Police and fire brigade attended the scene.
The driver has been charged with Culpable Homicide.