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Freedom Mupanedemo / Michael Magoronga, Midlands Reporters
FOUR people died on the spot while 13 others were seriously injured and rushed to hospital after a commuter omnibus they were travelling in burst its right rear tyre, veered off the road and overturned just outside Kwekwe yesterday.

Police confirmed the accident which occurred at around 9 AM near Tigger Riff Bridge along the Kwekwe-Gokwe road.

The Kombi, which had 17 people on board including the driver and conductor, was heading to Kwekwe.

When The Chronicle arrived at the scene, the wreckage of the kombi was still there while the injured including the driver had been rushed to Kwekwe District Hospital.

Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko confirmed the accident.

“I can confirm that four people died on the spot while 13 others were seriously injured when a Kombi they were travelling in burst its rear tyre near Tigger Riff Bridge just outside Kwekwe along the Gokwe-Kwekwe Road.

“We are still to get updates on the injured who were taken to Kwekwe District Hospital. We will give you updates as they come,” he said.
An eye witness, Mr Gibson Rugube, who was driving behind the Kombi, said he helped ferry the injured to hospital in his Kombi.

He said two of the injured were pronounced dead upon admission to hospital but police could not immediately confirm the hospital deaths.

“I was driving behind when the rear tyre of a kombi that was in front burst, producing a frightening sound. I saw the driver struggling to control the Kombi before it overturned.

“It was a bad experience seeing people flying out of the windows as the Kombi rolled before landing on its side” said Mr Rugube.

He said he stopped his Kombi, and with the help of his passengers, attended to some of the injured before rushing them to hospital.

“We only managed to take the critically injured but when we got to the hospital, nurses who attended to us said two were already dead,” Mr Rugube said.

“This experience will haunt me, I have never came across a horrific accident like this but we had no choice but to try and save lives”.