Among the dead was the Superior General of the Congregation worldwide, Sister Nelina Semeoni (60), and an Italian national.
Mwanza. Four nuns of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionaries of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus have died after their car collided head-on with a lorry in Mwanza.
Among the dead was the Superior General of the Congregation worldwide, Sister Nelina Semeoni (60), and an Italian national.
Mwanza Regional Police Commander, DCP, Wilbrod Mtafungwa, said the accident occurred on Monday, September 15, 2025, at 7:50 p.m. in Bukumbi Village, Idetemya Ward, Misungwi District, along the Usagara–Kigongo Ferry road.
The nuns were travelling to Mwanza Airport from the Bukumbi community in Misungwi District.
Besides Sister Nelina, the deceased included her assistant, Sister Lilian Kapongo (55), a resident of Tabora; Sister Damaris Matheka (51), the headmistress of Bukumbi Girls Secondary School and a Kenyan national; Sister Stellamaris Kamene Muthin (48).
The vehicle driver, Mr Boniphace Msonola (53), also died in the tragedy.
However, a student supervisor at Bukumbi Girls Secondary School, Sister Pauline Mipata (20), survived the crash and is admitted at Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital in Mwanza for treatment.
Religious ceremony
Before the accident, the nuns had been in Kahama, Shinyanga Region, attending the perpetual vows ceremony of three fellow sisters, which was celebrated on Saturday, September 13, 2025, in the Kahama Catholic Archdiocese.
This celebration marks the final stage for nuns committing themselves permanently to religious life.
After the ceremony, they proceeded to Mwanza in preparation for a journey to Dar es Salaam, but their trip was tragically cut short by the accident.
Police report
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Commander Mutafungwa said the accident involved a Toyota Land Cruiser, which belonged to Bukumbi Girls Secondary School, which had veered off its lane and caused the collision.
The Land Cruiser, driven by Boniphace Msonola, crossed to the right side of the road and collided head-on with a lorry owned by Nyanza Road Works Company, and driven by a resident of Buhongwa, Mr Venance Mashaka (61).
“In the accident, four people died on the spot, while the Toyota Land Cruiser driver died at Bukumbi Hospital while receiving treatment,” said Commander Mutafungwa.
“The cause of the accident was overspeeding by the small vehicle, which attempted to overtake another car without caution and ended up colliding head-on with the oncoming lorry,” he added.
The deceased bodies have been preserved at Bugando Referral Hospital for post-mortem examination, while the lorry driver remains in police custody for questioning.
The Police Force has urged drivers to observe traffic laws and regulations, avoid overspeeding, and exercise caution to prevent such tragedies.
