27 Churchgoers Killed in Zimbabwe Minibus-Truck Crash

At least 27 people have been killed after a minibus carrying churchgoers collided head-on with a truck near Chivhu in central Zimbabwe.

 

The accident occurred at about 6:30pm GMT on Friday, approximately 140 kilometres south of the capital, Harare, according to the Zimbabwean police.

 

Police said the foreign-registered haulage truck was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the minibus, which was carrying worshippers to a conference.

 

Both vehicles had an unknown number of passengers, while seven people sustained injuries in the crash.

 

Footage shared by Zimbabwe’s public broadcaster, ZBC, showed the minibus badly damaged and burnt, while the truck came to rest on the opposite side of the road.

 

The crash occurred on a flat and remote stretch of road surrounded by low vegetation and open terrain.

 

Road accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where years of underfunding and poor maintenance have left many roads riddled with potholes, while poor driving standards and overloading of privately operated minibus taxis, locally known as kombis, have also contributed to road safety concerns.

 

In April, at least 18 people were killed when a minibus caught fire on a highway in southern Zimbabwe.

 

Earlier that month, a woman and her five children were also killed when their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on a highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.