The incident occurred on a major highway near Chivhu town, in Zimbabwe, on Friday, Aug. 28
Credit: ZBC News/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- 27 people died and seven others were injured after a minibus taxi was involved in a head-on collision with a haulage truck
- “It is alleged that the foreign registered truck was trying to overtake another vehicle,” police shared in a statement
- The minibus was carrying an unspecified number of church congregants from the African Apostolic Church, a popular Christian denomination
Twenty-seven people died and seven others were left injured after a minibus taxi was involved in a head-on collision with a haulage truck.
On Friday, Aug. 28, the Zimbabwe Republic Police shared in a press release that a fatal road traffic accident occurred along Harare-Masvingo Road in Chivhu, near Makumimavi Primary School, around 8:30 p.m. local time.
According to the police, “a Nissan Caravan NV350 kombi carrying an unspecified number of passengers was involved in a head-on collision with a Volvo Haulage Truck carrying an unknown number of passengers.”
While the names of the victims have not yet been released, 27 people died and seven others were injured.
Credit: Photo by Columbus Mavhunga/picture alliance via Getty
“It is alleged that the foreign registered truck was trying to overtake another vehicle,” police continued in the post. “The kombi was carrying church congregates from African Apostolic Church (Mwazha) who were proceeding to Mvuma from Dema for a church conference.”
The African Apostolic Church is a popular Christian denomination that is known for wearing white robes, per the Associated Press.
Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Itayi Ndudzo, confirmed that 23 people were pronounced dead at the scene, while four succumbed to their injuries once they were admitted to hospitals, per local outlet ZBC News.
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Images and videos shared by the outlet showed the minibus taxi appeared to burst into flames immediately after the collision, leaving behind the vehicle’s charred shell.
The country’s traffic safety agency previously stated that its road accident fatality rates are among the continent’s worst, per the Associated Press. National statistics showed that, in addition to a crash occurring approximately every 15 minutes, around five are killed and 38 are injured each day.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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