Nation’s shock as horror smash kills 42

Mufindi/Mbeya/Dar es Salaam. President Jakaya Kikwete led the nation yesterday in mourning the death of 42 people in a road accident at Changarawe area in Mufindi District.

The Head of State declared the accident a national disaster and directed regional authorities to give all the support necessary to those affected by the tragedy.

Thirty seven people died on the spot and five others in hospital as they were being treated. Another 17 are fighting for their lives at Iringa Regional Hospital, where they are reported to be in serious condition.

The accident involved a bus belonging to Majinja Bus Company, which was travelling from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam, and a trailer headed in the opposite direction. The vehicles collided on a rough section of the highway and the container on the lorry crushed the bus, which was apparently carrying almost twice its capacity.

In his condolence message, President Kikwete said he was saddened by the news and wished the injured a quick recovery. He added, in a statement: “This is a national disaster, we are all mourning.”

Grief engulfed Mbeya City yesterday as word spread and anguished relatives jammed the offices of the bus company to establish the fate of their loved ones. It was the second time that a bus belonging to the company was involved in an accident in recent weeks, with the earlier one claiming two lives.

Witnesses put the accident down to potholes on the road. “Both the bus and the lorry were trying to navigate around the potholes but the lorry driver lost control and collided with the bus,” said the driver of another bus driver, Mr Nyansio Paschal, who witnessed the accident.

The container on the back of a trailer fell on the bus. “This is a black spot on this road and the most frustrating for drivers,” said Mr Paschal. “It is narrow and full of potholes.”

Passengers in other buses who rushed to the rescue of those trapped under the wreckage could do nothing because the bus was completely covered by the container.

But rescuers managed to pull a child aged between one or two from under the bus. The fate of the child’s parents could not be immediately established. Among the dead were seven women, 32 men and three children.

Iringa Regional Commissioner Amina Masenza said the accident was shocking and suggested that poor infrastructure and potholes on that stretch of the road could have been the cause of the accident.

“An accident of such magnitude has never occurred in this region,” she added. “We have lost innocent and hardworking people in a most tragic manner.”

Seven bodies are at Mufindi District Hospital and the rest were transferred to the mortuary at Iringa Regional Hospital. Ten injured passengers were referred to Iringa Regional Hospital when their situation worsened.

Mufindi Hospital Chief Medical Officer Boaz Mnenegwa said his hospital received 37 bodies. “We received 22 injured passengers, but five died while getting treatment and we have referred 10 to Iringa Regional Hospital,” he said.

Regional Police Commander Ramadhan Mungi named the bus driver as Baraka Gabriel. The lorry driver was identified as Makka Sebastian. Both men died on the spot.

Mr Mungi said his office was working hard to identify the passengers, both dead and alive.