At least 27 people have been killed and seven others injured in a head-on collision involving a commuter minibus and a haulage truck along the Harare-Masvingo road.
The crash happened at about 20:30 on Friday at the 132km peg along the Harare-Masvingo Road near Makumimavi Primary School in Chivhu, police said.
The Nissan Caravan NV350 minibus or kombi was carrying members of the African Apostolic Church (Mwazha) who were travelling from Dema to Mvuma for a church conference.
It collided with a Volvo haulage truck which police said was allegedly attempting to overtake another vehicle.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the deaths and said investigations were under way.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms a fatal road traffic accident which occurred at the 132 kilometre peg along Harare-Masvingo Road, Chivhu, near Makumimavi Primary School.
“Twenty-seven people died while seven others were injured when a Nissan Caravan NV350 kombi carrying an unspecified number of passengers was involved in a head-on collision with a Volvo haulage truck.” Commissioner Nyathi said in a statement.
Commissioner Nyathi said the truck was foreign-registered and was allegedly trying to overtake another vehicle when it collided with the kombi.
The identities of those killed have not yet been released.
Commissioner Nyathi said the victims’ names would be made public once the bodies had been identified by their next of kin.
“The names of the victims will be released as soon as the bodies are identified by their next of kin,” he said.
The crash is the latest in a series of deadly road accidents on the country’s major highways with human error cited as the cause of serious crashes.
Police have appealed to motorists to exercise caution and observe road safety regulations as investigations into the latest accident continue.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police expresses condolences to the bereaved families. More details will be released in due course,” Commissioner Nyathi said.
