Thirteen lose lives, 3 injured in early morning road crash
Ikugi District residents look at what remains of a Toyota Noah vehicle which was involved in a collision with a lorry at Isuna Village on the Singida-Dodoma road in Singida Region yesterday. Thirteen passengers were killed while three escaped with injuries in the mishap. photo | GASPER ANDREW
What you need to know:
The Arusha-bound bus, christened Hood, travelling from Iringa veered from the road and overturned, killing two people on the spot while another passenger succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital
Singida/Same. Thirteen people, including three family members, died yesterday and three others were injured in a car accident involving a private van they were travelling in and a lorry.
The accident took place at 7.32 am on the Singida-Dodoma highway at Isuna Village in Ikungi District, Singida Region, when the Toyota Noah collided with a Scania lorry.
Singida regional police commander Geofrey Kamwela said the ill-fated van was travelling from Itigi in Manyoni District and was headed to Singida town. He said the bodies of the deceased were preserved at Singida District hospital, 10 of which had already been identified by relatives.
He named the dead as Omari Shaban, his wife Salma Omari and their 10-year-old child Nyamumwi Omari, residents of Itigi town. Others are Haji Mohammed, Mtunku Rashidi, Salehe Hamisi, Samir Shaban, Mwaleki Nkuwi, Athumani Kalemba and Ramadhan Mkenga.
In yet another accident, three people died on Sunday and 30 others were injured when a bus overturned on the Same–Mombo road at Mkwini Village in Same District, Kilimanjaro Region.
The Arusha-bound bus, christened Hood, travelling from Iringa veered from the road and overturned, killing two people on the spot while another passenger succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital.
Same District commissioner Herman Kapufi who arrived at the scene shortly said the 5.45pm accident involved a passenger bus driven by Mr Baraka Juma who fled the scene after the accident.
“The two who died on the spot were men...we rushed the injured passengers to Same District hospital where the bodies are preserved. Three people who were in critical condition were taken to KCMC referral hospital,” he said, adding that two victims received treatment at Hedaru health centre.
Mr Kapufi said survivors attributed the accident to possible exhaustion of the driver since the speed of the vehicle was normal.
The Same District hospital medical officer, Dr Ernest Kyungu, confirmed receiving the bodies and the victims, adding that 25 were still receiving treatment at the facility.
But speaking to The Citizen at the hospital, survivors Bakari Kwavi and Joseph Mapendo cited overspeeding as the possible cause of the accident.
“It was overspeeding. When the driver realised that he lost control of the vehicle, he jumped out to save his life,” said Kwavi.
He added that death toll would have increased if not for the mud that hindered the vehicle’s the speed.
Kilimanjaro regional police commander Robert Boaz confirmed the report and named the dead as Mr Stephano Kasimba, Mr Fadhili Kasimba and Ms Aziza Mdee.
Reported by Gasper Andrew (Singida) Rehema Matowo and Simon Mjema (Same)
