3 die in bus accident, several injured

Three passengers died on Monday after a bus they were travelling in from Lilongwe to Blantyre was involved in an accident near Kammwamba in Neno District along the M1 Road.

Several passengers sustained different degrees of injuries and were rushed to Balaka District Hospital, Mlambe Mission Hospital in Blantyre and Zomba Central Hospital, according to a police source at the scene.

The bus belongs to Premier Bus Service.

Southern Region Police Headquarters spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa confirmed about the accident Monday evening, but he said he had no details.

The police source said the bus driver, at a bend before Kammwamba Trading Centre, was trying to avoid a child who suddenly entered into the road. The child, said the source, was in the company of his friends and they were carrying firewood.

Police were last evening taking the driver to Chileka Police Station in Blantyre to record his statement.
The police source said the place of accident is called Pa Chingozi because of the many accidents that take place there.He said it was unfortunate that in doing his best to avoid killing the child, the driver found himself in an accident that killed some of his passengers.