Eight Killed In "Water Splash" Car Accident

This is an example of some of the potholes to be found in Zimbabwe now, this one I photographed a few weeks ago in the city centre in Harare and it was on a main road near Miekles Hotel and Parliament. Ironically, the name of the road on which this very pothole appears is: Robert Mugabe Avenue

Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 September 2009

Eight people have been killed in Headlands, in the Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe as a result of an accident whose description still leaves a lot of questions.

The eight were travelling in a mini-bus, the most common mode of public transport in Zimbabwe. Twelve people were also injured in the accident, including a two-month old baby. It has not yet been announced whether the infant's parents survived the accident.

The circumstances, as far as has been established so far are that the Commuter Omnibus, tried to avoid a "splash of water" from a haulage truck and veered into the opposite lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a Nissan Hardbody truck that was headed towards Mutare. The mini-bus was coming from Mutare to Harare.

Of the eight people who died, two were killed instantly while the other six died upon admission to Rusape hospital.

For those who are from or familiar with the Headlands area, the accident happened at Chendambuya turn-off in Headlands.

No names of those who died have been released yet, in accordance with Zimbabwe Police practice of letting the families and next-of-kin know first before making the names public.

The state of Zimbabwe's roads is a big factor in the upsurge of accidents and deaths in Zimbabwe. Clearly, there was a pothole in the roads, which was full of water. That water appears to have been disturbed by a haulage truck, leading to the mini-bus swerving to avoid it.

It really is an unusual accident which has cost so many lives.