Eight people, including the driver, have died after a speeding minibus collided with a stationary lorry on Wednesday at Kawere Trading Centre along the Mponela- Kasungu M1 in Dowa.
Mponela Police Station spokesperson MacPatson Msadala confirmed the accident on Thursday, identifying the driver as James Juman, 47.
The others are five men and two women. So far, only three of the men have been identified as Sophias Mandala, Geoffrey Sakanda, and Greva Mauwa.
According to Msadala, Juman was driving a Toyota Hiace minibus registration BU 9179, carrying 14 passengers from Lilongwe going to Kasungu.
He said: “The minibus crashed into a broken-down Scania Lorry, registration DA 451, which was loaded with tobacco bales at Kawere Trading Centre.”
The violent impact left the driver and seven passengers with severe injuries and were pronounced dead on arrival at Mponela Rural Hospital.
Four others were rushed to Kamuzu Central Hospital for treatment, while two were admitted to Dowa District Hospital.
An unidentif ied child remains under care at Mponela Rural Hospital.
Msadala lamented the loss of life, urging drivers to adhere strictly to traffic regulations to prevent such tragedies.
The fatal crash comes barely weeks after the Malawi Police Service released its Easter road safety report, which recorded 25 road accidents over the holiday, down from 30 last year.
Despite the drop in total accidents, the number of deaths rose to nine this year, up from six in 2024. Injuries, however, fell from 40 to 26.
Speeding remains one of the top infractions, with police booking 753 motorists for the offence.
Other common violations included overloading with 2 042 cases, and drink-driving with 285 cases.
Authorities continue to urge vigilance on the roads, warning that failure to follow traffic laws could lead to more preventable deaths.
In 2024, police recorded 4 247 road accidents across Malawi, which resulted in 1 055 deaths and 3 986 injuries.
