Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Zimbabwe bus crash: At least 47 people killed in collision on Harare-Mutare highway

Horror crash overwhelms local morgue and death toll could rise

Thursday 08 November 2018 05:13 EST
Comments
File image of a bus in Zimbabwe. Crashes are common due to poor infrastructure and speeding
File image of a bus in Zimbabwe. Crashes are common due to poor infrastructure and speeding (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people in Zimbabwe, police have said.

Two long distance buses going in opposite directions collided near Rusape, a small town about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of the capital Harare on Wednesday evening.

“We confirm 47 people have died in a road traffic accident at the 166-km peg along the Harare-Mutare highway,” police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.

He added the death toll could rise because there are several others with serious injuries.

The large number of bodies has overwhelmed Rusape’s morgue, the state-run newspaper the Herald reported.

On Twitter the paper said pictures from the scene of the crash were too graphic to post and estimated “scores have been injured”.

Road crashes are common in Zimbabwe where road conditions are poor, and where bus operating companies frequently drive at high speed in order to make as many trips as possible each day.

The road where the accident happened was recently resurfaced as part of government attempts at rehabilitating collapsing road infrastructure.

Agencies contributed to this report

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in