Eight die in Chikwawa road accident
Eight people have died and six others seriously injured after they were hit by a minibus in Chikwawa on Sunday.
Confirming the accident, Officer in-charge for Chikwawa Police Station Davie Chingwalu said the accident happened at around six o’clock in the evening.
Chingwalu said nobody in the minibus was injured in the accident.
He said the minibus, a Toyota Hiace registration number NU 8995 was coming from Chikwawa direction heading towards Blantyre.
“Upon reaching a place called Domasi, it hit a pedestrian who was crossing the road. The vehicle then started swerving to the direction of the people injuring some and killing six on the spot.”
An angry mob then burnt down the minibus and according to Chingwalu, the driver is still at large.
Chingwalu further said the injured and the dead were taken to Chikwawa District Hospital.
Spokesperson for Chikwawa District Hospital Settie Piriminta said two of the eight died at the hospital where they were rushed to soon after the accident.
According to Piriminta among the dead, two are men while six are children between the ages of six and sixteen.
One woman who was seriously injured has been referred to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
“Some of the injured are still being treated at the hospital’s intensive care unit. We have information that the victims were coming from an initiation ceremony when they met the ordeal,” Piriminta said.
According to Piriminta, all the dead bodies have been identified as they were from around the area.
Meanwhile, police are working on strategies to make the place, which they say is accident prone, more secure.
According to Chingwalu, it does not last two weeks without receiving an accident report from around the area.
“We are working on strategies to help reduce the rate of accidents around the area. Among them, we are planning to discuss with the council to put ramble surface,” he said.
