What was meant to be a trip to attend to a funeral ceremony in Lilongwe ended in tragedy for a Blantyre-based couple on Saturday night after they died in a car crash in Ntcheu.
Wesley Mlozi, 66, and his wife Dorothy, 60, were pronounced dead after a Freightliner truck hit their vehicle at Nkhande Hills along the Dedza-Ntcheu Road in Ntcheu District.
Police said a pedal cyclist, who was yet to be identified by yesterday, was also killed in the crash.
In an interview yesterday, Wesley’s brother, Davie Mlozi, said the couple was travelling to Lilongwe to attend the funeral of a relative whose burial ceremony was yesterday.
He said Wesley was operating a bakery in Railways staff lines in Limbe, Blantyre which he opened after retiring from Press Bakeries Limited while Dorothy retired from National Bank of Malawi plc in April last year.
Davie said the family was devastated by the couple’s deaths.
“Their deaths have shocked us and we have lost our pillars. They are the ones who supported several members of our family, including myself because I grew up in their house. We are going to deeply miss them,” he said.
The couple will be buried today at Mponela in Dowa District. They are survived by three children aged 34, 32 and 30.
During the accident, the Mlozis were using a Nissan Qashqai station wagon registration DA 10570 driven by Lloyd Mbeya.
Ntcheu Police Station public relations officer Inspector Jacob Khembo said the accident occurred when a Freightliner truck registration BS 2675/KK 4315, driven by Collins Khoswe, 36, was descending Nkhande Hills from the direction of Tsangano Turn-off.
He said the truck, which was carrying bags of cement, attempted to overtake a Toyota Dyna pickup but the driver lost control and it collided head-on with the Nissan Qashqai carrying the couple.
Following the impact, the truck hit the pedal cyclist who was heading the same direction as the truck.
The couple and the pedal cyclist sustained severe head injuries and were pronounced dead on arrival at Ntcheu District Hospital, according to police.
The drivers, Khoswe and Mbeya, sustained various degrees of injuries and were taken to Ntcheu District Hospital where they were treated as in-patients.
Davie said Mbeya was later referred to Mwaiwathu Private Hospital where his condition is improving.
Meanwhile, the body of the pedal cyclist is still at Ntcheu District Hospital mortuary awaiting identification.
Last week, police reported that New Year’s Day road accidents claimed four lives while 15 others sustained various degrees of injuries.
