A 24-year-old mother and her infant have died on the spot while 35 others have sustained injuries in a traffic accident involving a Macopolo bus registration number ALT 3324 belonging to Nico Transporters.
The accident happened on the Great East Road in Nyimba District in the early hours of today when the driver of the bus coming from Lusaka heading to Chipata overturned.
The deceased have been identified as Victlyn Chakupaleza aged 24 years and her baby Loveness Banda aged 1 year and 5 months from Sinda.
Nyimba District Administrative Officer Geoffrey Mumba has confirmed the incident saying the driver of the bus was trying to avoid a drunk pedestrian Benard Lungu aged 21 and in the process lost control of the vehicle before overturning.
The accident happened around 04.00hours about five kilometres away from Nyimba Boma, adding that the bus which was travelling from Lusaka to Chipata was carrying 37 people on board.
“It is believed that the bus left Lusaka around 17 hours yesterday and had a night stop at Luangwa Bridge and was only proceeding to Chipata in the early hours of today,” Mr Mumba said.
And Nyimba District General Hospital Acting Nursing Officer Ruth Nthele confirmed that 35 people were admitted to the hospital and among them 4 were critical while the rest were stable and two people were brought in dead.
“Among the stable patients is Banda Pearson aged 32years and his daughter who is the husband and father to the deceased,” Ms Nthele explained.
She said the bodies of the deceased have been deposited in Minga Hospital Mortuary.
And an accident victim Ndolesha Banda aged 34 years said from his hospital bed that a drunk pedestrian was crossing the road carelessly and caused the accident.
And Chikalaba Daka, who was one of the first people on the scene and lives just 15 meters away from the accident spot, said he only heard a very loud sound outside his house and rushed there.
“I rushed outside to check where that disturbing sound came from only to find a bus had overturned and people were crying and shouting for help, I immediately started helping the victims and making contact with the police,” he said.
The driver, Davison Zulu, is among the stable patients in the hospital while the drunk pedestrian has been apprehended by police and is also nursing injuries in the same hospital.
LT is the deceased 21 or 24 get your act together- headline said 21 in story it said 24
LT are a big mess and they seem to enjoy passing this garbage to us. What’s this:
Pearson Banda and his daughter who is the husband and father to the deceased?
IS THIS A SURPRISE CONSIDERING THE SPEED AND CARELESSNESS THESE BUSES TRAVEL ?
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS BEEN POSTED ABOUT
IT TIME THE PASSENGERS ALL GET TOGETHER AND SUE THESE BUS COMPANIES
SUE THE COMPANIES
SO SAD
@iwe just keep your ignorance mouth quiet. We were the ones who were their and affected we do that ***** drunk person asif he was sent by your grandpas to cause accidents. After i am out of the hospital i will make sure he goes to jail for good. lives have been lost, we are nursing wounds you *****
That is very unprofessional, risking so many lives over a single life is not worth it. The bus driver must have been over speeding as is always the case with these early morning buses trying to beat the time.
Observer what would you do if you were the driver? Hit the drunk pedestrian? Wouldn’t instinct tell you to avoid crashing into him?
Same bus companies every year killing people…fit speed delimiters on these buses
Around 04:00 hrs already drunk???????? or He spent the night drinking beer.