27 die as overtaking truck slams into church bus in Zimbabwe

A minibus carrying churchgoers collided head-on with a truck in central Zimbabwe, killing at least 27 people, police said Saturday, in the latest deadly road crash to hit the country.

The crash occurred at around 1830 GMT on Friday near Chivhu, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) south of the capital Harare, police said.

The foreign-registered haulage truck was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the minibus, which was carrying worshippers to a conference.

Both vehicles were carrying an “unknown” number of passengers, police said. Seven people were injured in the crash.

Footage shared on social media by public broadcaster ZBC showed the mangled minibus charred to a shell, with the truck coming to rest on the opposite side of the road.

The crash occurred in a flat, remote stretch of road, with low vegetation lining the roadside and open terrain beyond.

Traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where roads are riddled with potholes due to years of underfunding and neglect, and driving standards can be poor.

For everyday transport, many Zimbabweans rely on the privately run minibus taxis, known locally as kombi, but they are often criticised for overloading.

In April, at least 18 people were killed when a minibus burst into flames on a highway in the south, while earlier that month a woman and her five children died when their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on another highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.

AFP