At least 27 people died and seven others were injured after a minibus taxi carrying members of a Christian congregation crashed into a haulage truck in Zimbabwe.
According to Paul Nyathi, a spokesperson with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the truck driver was trying to pass another vehicle when he or she fatally struck the minibus taxi on Friday, about 87 miles south of Harare, the country’s capital city.
Video footage of the incident showed the taxi mangled and completely charred by flames, DW reported.
The truck in question carried foreign registration plates, which means it was not registered in Zimbabwe. The haulage vehicle was reportedly carrying mining equipment from South Africa.
As for the minibus taxi, its passengers were reportedly from the indigenous denomination the African Apostolic Church, also known as the Mwazha church. The travelers — purportedly around 34 of them — were on their way from Dema to Ndarikure in Mvuma for a faith-based conference, according to the Arabian Post.
The provincial government minister put the death toll at 23, while the remainder died at the hospital.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a State of Disaster in response to the crash, invoking Section 27(1) of Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Act. By invoking the act, the country’s government is able to invest in resources and assistance for survivors and families mourning losses.
The money can be used, too, to cover medical fees and burial costs.
Please keep the families of those who have lost loved ones in this accident in prayer.
