A tragic incident involving a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Zimbabwe has resulted in the reported fatalities of twenty-four people with an additional thirty people sustaining injuries.
According to Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi, the accident occurred on Thursday, February 13, 2025, in proximity to Beitbridge, a town located on the southern border with South Africa. The bus was en route from the capital city, Harare, to Beitbridge, carrying a total of sixty-five passengers.
Nyathi indicated that preliminary investigations suggest the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle when it collided with the haulage truck. The police have yet to ascertain the exact number of injured individuals.
State media sources released images depicting covered bodies on the ground alongside the severely damaged wreckage of both the bus and the truck. The State-run Herald newspaper cited a government medical officer in Beitbridge, stating that seventeen individuals perished at the accident scene, while seven others succumbed to head injuries at a local hospital. The newspaper further reported that thirty additional individuals required hospitalization due to injuries sustained in the accident.
In response to this catastrophic event, President Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed his deep horror and sorrow, designating the crash as a national disaster. He committed that the government would assume responsibility for the funeral and burial expenses of the victims. President Mnangagwa emphasized that such an incident is unacceptable for the nation, particularly at the onset of the year, and urged drivers to exercise the utmost caution while operating vehicles on the roads.
