12 die in Malawi road accidents
Twelve people collectively died in two separate accidents in Dedza and Mzimba (in Malawi’s central and northern districts) on Monday.
Six people died on the spot while the seventh died at Dedza District Hospital in the early hours of yesterday when a Lilongwe-bound bus they were travelling in collided with a truck at a place near a secondary school soon after Dedza Police roadblock on the M1 Road.
The bus, a Volvo registration RU5115 driven by Costaf Chikondi Nkhata, 37, from Malili Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kayembe in Dowa, was coming from the Blantyre direction while the Mozambican registered truck, registration ABI 855 driven by Mozambican national Gabriel Kalemba was coming from the opposite direction, according to police.
Dedza Police Station spokesperson Edward Kabango said in an interview on Mondaypreliminary findings show that the truck strayed into the other lane where it collided with the bus.
The bus carried 80 passengers.
In Mzimba, five people died after a vehicle they were travelling in rolled off the road and plunged into a river after a tyre burst, according to Northern Region Police spokesperson Maurice Chapola.
Chapola said the five included a police officer, Kelvin Mazowe, 29, from Traditional Authority (T/A) Kalolo’s area in Lilongwe.
He said the driver, Yamikani Kalimwayi, reportedly failed to control the vehicle after the tyre burst and the vehicle swerved off the road and ended in the river.
The other four deceased have been identified as Bright Jiya, 18, of Kumponde Village T/A Kapeni in Blantyre, Mclean Sakala, 24, of Manziri Village, T/A Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba, Yona Mukumbwa, 31, of Chinunkha Village, T/A Mwaulambya in Chitipa, Jonathan Chilembo, 56, of Makula Village, T/A Katumbi in Rumphi.
