By Sukoluhle Ndlovu
Four church congregants died on the spot and 12 others were injured when a Mazda T35 carrying 29 members of an apostolic church veered off the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and crashed into a river bank.
The accident occurred at around 4.30pm on Tuesday at the 279km peg along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road.
According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle before it veered off the road and crashed.
“Four passengers died on the spot, while 12 others sustained injuries,” police said in a statement.
The bodies of the victims were taken to Hwange Colliery Mortuary for post-mortem examinations.
In a separate accident along the Harare-Bulawayo Road on the same day, two people died after a Honda Fit carrying seven people was involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota Hilux.
The accident occurred at the 146km peg, with the Honda Fit subsequently veering off the road, overturning and landing on its roof.
Police said two of the four passengers in the Honda Fit who sustained serious injuries later died upon admission to Kadoma General Hospital.
Police urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads and avoid carrying passengers beyond the stipulated capacity of their vehicles.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police urges motorists to value lives and exercise caution on the roads,” police said.
