By a Correspondent
At least seven Highlanders Football Club supporters were killed and four others seriously injured in a tragic road accident near Mbalabala on Sunday night as they returned home from a Premier Soccer League match in Bulawayo.
The supporters, who were travelling to Filabusi, were on their way home after witnessing Highlanders’ 2-0 victory over Herentals at Barbourfields Stadium.
The accident occurred about 20 kilometres from Mbalabala at around 9pm and involved a Nissan Caravan carrying the supporters, a sedan and a haulage truck.
An eyewitness who participated in rescue efforts described the scene as horrific.
“We arrived at the scene soon after the accident and it was horrific. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Some of the injuries were severe. By the time police arrived, we had already assisted some of the victims and loaded four of them into a van that rushed them to hospital,” said the eyewitness, whose voice was visibly shaken during the interview.
The witness said emergency responders and law enforcement officers worked through the night to rescue survivors, clear the wreckage and establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Authorities had not yet released the identities of the deceased.
The tragedy has cast a dark shadow over Highlanders’ victory, with the football community mourning the loss of supporters who were travelling home after backing their team.
This latest crash comes just a month after a fatal accident along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway claimed the lives of four key Highlanders FC figures: club chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba, finance executive Nkani Khoza, and supporter Mbalenhle Sibanda.
This is a developing story….
