Friday, March 29, 2024

Overloaded correctional facility truck overturns killing one,injuring 36 inmates and 2 wardens

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One inmate from Luanshya correctional facility died on the spot while 38 others are nursing serious injuries after the truck, they were traveling in overturned 3 times owing to a tyre burst.

The Mitsubishi Sportero property of Zambia Correctional Services of Luanshya was driven by Warder Misheck Masengu (26) of Luanshya who sustained head injuries.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga says the accident happened on Saturday around 17 hours near Chilubili area in Mpongwe when the inmates were being ferried from Kanyenda area in Mpongwe where they had gone to work.

“On board were 38 prisoners of which one died upon arrival at Ibenga Hospital, one escaped unhurt , 12 inmates were evacuated to Ibenga clinic while 24 others were taken to Ndola Teaching Hospital.One inmates escaped unhurt.

Two other Prison wardens on board also sustained injuries and are both admitted to Ibenga Mission Hospital.

Ms Katongo said the total number of people on board was 41.And Mrs. Katanga promised to give a detailed report today because the doctors were still monitoring the condition of all the inmates.

Social media is rife with questions as to how a Mistubishi sportero can carry 41 passengers.

A former prisoner, Mr. Mwaba narrated how trucks carrying prisoners are often driven at high speeds to prevent prisoners from jumping out of the truck.

He lamented at how prisoners are dehumanized in Zambia. “We were carried like DOGS and they don’t care whether we die or not,”he said.

He appealed to the government to decongest prisons and put up more courts to finish up cases for accused persons in remand prisons quickly to avoid such cases of fatal accidents emanating from transferring inmates from distant prisons to courts in Lusaka.

“My life after prison has been that of trying to tell society that we can all be victims of imprisonment because we break the law sometimes accidentally, and some times we are wrongly accused or at times fail to hire a lawyer in a case.We must treat prisoners with respect,”Mr.Mwaba said.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all their families and friends. Pf will do all it can to support them. Kz

    • “One inmate escaped unhurt” according to the above report. Is the report suggesting the prisoner bolted after the accident and no longer in the custody of the correctional services? …

    • In videos there are less than 20 guys in orange uniforms, not the PF numbers of scams.
      That prisoner died because he was not helped in time. You saw on social media that there were idyots walking and jumping over the injured taking VIDEOS for WhatsApp, instead of helping them. If those son-of-bitvhes picked the injured and rushed them to hospital or help stop the breeding that in-mate could have been the one telling the story.

  2. In most accidents casualties die because of a lack of first aid. It’s therefore criminal that people on the scene elected to quickly take and share videos and pictures instead of helping. Please stop it! It’s a relief that only 1 died because it looked like they were more casualties

  3. Are prisoners allowed to go out for “work” over the weekend ?something fishy here.How do you park 41 poeple in a one tonne vanette. RATSA investigate because the corrupt traffic officers from Luanshya have scampered from the scene of the accident.

  4. Its one but more than two who died on the sport.
    If the president said that no more taking people in an open van then it happens in this way, the same govnmt what does this mean?
    PLEASE RESPECT HUMAN BEINGS REGARDLESS OF WHAT STATUS THEY MAY HAVE IN THE NATION.

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