A cloud of sorrow has descended on Nteuka and Lipuputa villages in Traditional Authority (T/A) Ngokwe in Machinga District after a road accident on Wednesday claimed six lives, including two children.
The accident happened when a minibus registration NN 11326 with 20 passengers on board overturned while descending Molipa Hills along the Bakili Muluzi Highway.
In an interview yesterday, Liwonde Police Station spokesperson Ngwashape Nsume described it as one of the worst accidents in recent years.
| Haneeph Maulana
“All the injured passengers were rushed to Machinga District Hospital,” she said.
Nsume identified the deceased as Labson Chigwala, Sauda Chiumbe, Tuwanje
Mikaele and Yesaya Moyowa from Mteuka Village, Sanudi Yawa from Lipuputa Village in T/A Ngokwe in Machinga and Comfort Mbalala from Machinjiri Village in T/A Malemia in Zomba
At Machinga District Hospital, the mood was sombre as the conscious and unconscious injured continued to arrive.
Hospital spokesperson Wongani Nyirenda said the facility initially received 17 casualties.
“Three more people, including two children, died while receiving treatment. Eight of the injured have been referred
to Zomba Central Hospital due to the severity of their conditions,” he said.
Three bodies were buried on Wednesday and the others yesterday in T/A Ngokwe.
A witness James Chimera of Molipa Village, recalled the horrific scene.
“I heard a loud bang and screams. When I rushed there, some passengers were trapped and others had been thrown out of the minibus. It was heartbreaking,” he said.
T/A Ngokwe expressed sadness with the loss and extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
Ngokwe remains one of Machinga’s most isolated areas, with poor roads and scarce transportation, forcing residents to risk dangerous routes to connect to Liwonde.
Two weeks ago, another road accident claimed four lives at Chilanga on the Liwonde-Mangochi Road in Balaka District.
