22 die in Mwanga road horror
They must have counted minutes only before they reached their destination but a grisly road accident cut short the lives of 22 passengers on board the Buffalo Coach
CHARLES KIZIGHA
THEY must have counted minutes only before they reached their destination but a grisly road accident cut short the lives of 22 passengers when their bus, christened Buffalo, collided with a tanker at Kisangara in Mwanga District yesterday.
Twenty people died on the spot while two others died while being rushed to hospital. Many of other passengers sustained serious injuries, the Mwanga District Commissioner, Mr Jordan Rugimbana, told the Daily News’ over the phone from the scene of the accident. The DC said the bus with registration number T 773 ABF was from Dar es Salaam going to Moshi.
He said that the driver of the bus popularly known as Bob was among the injured but the fate of the tanker driver was unclear but was certainly not among those who died. He is believed to have run away as his vehicle was also not seriously damaged.
He said that he was informed at the scene by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anna Kinabo, of Moshi who led the operation that most of the dead were on the left side, indicating the bus driver tried to avoid a head-on collision.
Mr Rugimbana said he caould not readily give the names of those who perished in the accident, one of the worst road carnage this year. The bodies were sent to Mawenzi Regional Hospital and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi for preservation. The injured could also be known after visiting Mawenzi Hospital and KCMC, he said.
He explained that following the accident which occurred near the road to Nyumba ya Mungu Dam, long lines of vehicles including buses, lorries and private cars were held for almost two hours on each direction of the road as police and medical personnel removed bodies and helped the injured from the bus.
Mr Rugimbana commended individuals who volunteered their vehicles to ferry bodies and the injured to hospitals in Moshi from the scene of the accident.
Source: Daily News
