Six joggers dead, 16 injured after car hits them while exercising on the roadside

Mwanza. Six joggers have been killed and 16 others have been seriously injured in a car accident as they participated in morning jogging exercise.

The accident that involved members of the Adden Palace Jogging Club took place around 0630am on July 22, 2023, in the Lumala area, Ilemela district.

One of the casualties, Mr Peter Henry, told The Citizen that the accident occurred shortly after members had started jogging.

Mr Henry, who is the Adden Palace Hotel manager, said while jogging at the head of the pack, he heard a loud bang as the vehicle hit other joggers. When he turned back, some of the victims were already lying on the ground with bleeding in different parts of their bodies.

Paralysed by the shock, he could not escape the charging vehicle that knocked him down and wounded him in the face.

"It had been our habit to start jogging at 0600am. As we were heading to Kiseke, we were, unfortunately, involved in an accident at the whereabouts of Lumala Bus Station," Mr Henry said at the regional referral hospital Sekou Toure, where he was receiving treatment.

"After being hit, I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I saw my colleagues had also been severely injured. We were then taken to the hospital," he said, adding that about 30 people participated in yesterday’s jogging.

An eyewitness, Mr Kigenga Wambura, said after the accident, he chased the car that had hit the joggers.

"He was about to hit me as I was driving my tricycle, popularly known as a bajaj, but I drove aside to let him pass," he said.

He narrated and added that a person who was guiding joggers had tried to stop them after noticing the driver's reckless driving. However, he was too late, as joggers were hit, killing several and wounding others.

But, after catching the hit-and-run driver at the petrol station, he signalled him to stay quiet.

"I had to obey him because I feared that he could harm me in one way or another."

Mwanza Regional Referral Hospital medic, Dr Bahati Msaki, confirmed the deaths of five people, including the sixth who died while receiving treatment.

He said the hospital received 16 accident victims—14 men and two women—noting that eight of them have been referred to Bugando Zone Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.

Mwanza acting Regional Police Commander (RPC), Godeon Msuya, said an investigation has established that the reckless driving of the Hilux double cabin was the cause of the accident.

The regional police chief named the dead as Makorongo Manyanda, Peter Fredrick, Shedrack Safari, Selestine Safari, Hamis Waziri, and Aman Matinde.

He said the driver, whose name couldn’t be immediately established, abandoned the car at the nearby petrol station.

"The driver escaped; however, the car has been confiscated by the law enforcement officers, and the manhunt has started," he said.