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Zimbabwe: Tragedy strikes after 22 people died in a horrific head-on collision between a taxi and a truck that had one passenger on board on Tuesday near the country’s second-largest city Bulawayo. A large number of people have been injured in the accident, who have been admitted to the hospital. A horrific traffic accident on the Bulawayo-Beitbridge highway in Zimbabwe marks one of the most devastating road tragedies in the country’s history.
Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said that two people sustain severe injuries in the accident that unfolded on late Tuesday night have been admitted to the hospital. Nyathi said in a statement that the accident occurred on the highway linking Bulawayo, the country’s second-largest city, with Beitbridge, a city bordering neighboring South Africa. The economy of Zimbabwe, a country with a population of about 15 million, has been affected by currency crisis and high inflation for years.
1/2 The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on 14/11/23 at around 2200 hours at the 27 kilometre peg along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road near Thandweni Store in which 22 people were killed whilst two others were injured
— Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe) November 15, 2023
“The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on 14/11/23 at around 2200 hours at the 27 kilometre peg along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road near Thandweni Store in which 22 people were killed whilst two others were injured when a Toyota Quantum vehicle with 21 passengers on board was involved in a head on collision with a DAF truck with one passenger on board. The injured victims are admitted at United Bulawayo Group of Hospitals. More details to be released in due course,” said the Zimbabwe police in a statement.
This is not the first time a major traffic accident has occurred on Zimbabwe’s highways. This comes a day after six people were killed when a vehicle was involved in a deadly collision with another truck along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, as per Zimbabwean reports. Three people were injured in that accident.
Many people in Zimbabwe, a country of 15 million whose economy has been battered by a yearslong currency crisis and high inflation, frequently travel to South Africa to buy goods for resale or personal use.
These tragic events have once again highlighted the urgent need to enhance road safety measures in Zimbabwe. As the country grapples with the consequences of these tragedies, there is an increasing demand for drivers to prioritize road safety and strictly adhere to speed limits to prevent such serious harm in the future.
