20 bodies in Kasungu carnage identified
Authorities in Kasungu have said 20 of the 26 bodies that perished in the minibus that caught fire after colliding with a fuel tanker at Katondo Village in the district on Thursday have been identified by their relatives.
Kasungu District Council director of planning and development Annie Zimba said one body is yet to be identified while charred remains of five others, which will be difficult to identify, have just been put together.
She said the council is consulting police on what to do with the yet-to-be identified body, and the other remains.
Reacting to accusations that the accident claimed so many lives because the minibus was overloaded, and corrupt police officers allowed it to pass through their checkpoints, National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said the service does not condone corruption.
He also faulted some passengers for boarding vehicles against recommended seating capacity.
“We board a vehicle which is already full. And we sometimes dodge police checkpoints by disembarking when approaching the checkpoints,” said Kalaya.
He also blamed the travelling public for not being brave enough to report corruption to relevant offices. “We have the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Independent Complaints Commission. They can go there and lodge their complaints if they feel insecure reporting to our offices,” he advised.
