This is what happened in the accident that killed three top TIC officials

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) was plunged into mourning after three senior officials died in a road accident near Chalinze, Coast Region, on Monday.

The accident occurred at around 3.30pm when the government vehicle carrying the officials collided with a lorry. All victims died at the scene, police said.

Coast Regional Police Commander Jonathan Shanna named them as TIC acting director of research Saidi Moshi, acting director of corporate affairs Zacharia Kingu and research and project manager Martin Masalu.

TIC legal manager Godfrey Kilolo and the driver, Mr Priscus Peter, were seriously injured in the accident and admitted to hospital.

Mr Shanna said the cause of the accident was “reckless and dangerous” driving by the 23-year-old driver of the government vehicle, adding that the driver of the lorry fled, and was being sought by police for questioning.

The officials were heading to Dodoma to attend TIC’s National Investment Steering Committee meeting, which was scheduled to start yesterday.

The injured and the bodies of the deceased were taken to Tumbi Referral Hospital in Kibaha before they were transferred to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar es Salaam.

TIC executive director Geoffrey Mwambe visited the injured at MNH yesterday afternoon, The Citizen learnt. He had earlier convened an emergency meeting with TIC staff.

The TIC board of directors and management sent their condolences to the deceased’s families, relatives and friends.

TIC communications and public relations officer Latifa Kigoda said the meeting which the three officials were expected to attend in Dodoma was called off following the accident.

The Citizen visited TIC headquarters in Dar es Salaam, and found staff in a sombre mood.

There were scenes of anguish at the late Masalu’s home in the city. His brother, Mr Robert Masalu, said the deceased would be buried in Morogoro on Friday.

He also said that they had been informed that relatives, friends, co-workers and other mourners would pay their last respects to the bodies of the three TIC officials at the city’s Karimjee grounds on Thursday.

“The government will meet all burial costs…we will travel to Morogoro on the same day and, if all goes according to plan, our brother will be laid to rest on Friday,” Mr Masalu said.

A TIC employee who did not want to be identified said some offices at the agency’s headquarters were closed shortly news of the deaths filtered in.

“Nobody was in a mood to work any more after we learnt that three of our colleagues had died in a road accident,” he said.