By Nelson Gonjani:
Five people have died and five others were injured in a road accident that occurred on the M18 Road in Kasungu District Tuesday.
The accident took place at Thondolo, along the Chinkhoma-Santhe stretch, when a tyre burst caused the vehicle to lose control and veer off the road.
Kasungu Police Station spokesperson Joseph Kachikho confirmed the incident, saying that the accident involved a Toyota Hiace minibus, registration number MZ10677, driven by Cossam Banda.
The vehicle, which was carrying 15 passengers, was travelling from Lilongwe to Jenda when the tyre burst, leading to the fatal crash.
“This is the second such incident involving the same vehicle owner. Just last week, another minibus owned by the same individual caught fire, claiming the lives of 26 people,” Kachikho said.
The injured passengers were admitted to Kasungu District Hospital, where they are receiving treatment, while five others were discharged.
Annie Zimba, Director of Planning and Development at Kasungu District Council, said the Ministry of Local Government, through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, has extended support to the bereaved families by providing coffins.
Meanwhile, the police in the district are advising road users to adhere to road rules and regulations to prevent some accidents from occurring.
Malawi has recently seen a rise in road accidents, with some road safety experts accusing traffic police officers of contributing to the tragedies by permitting unroadworthy and overloaded vehicles to be driven on the country’s roads.
A few days ago, 30 people died in separate road accidents less than a week after nine others had perished in another road accident in Thyolo District.
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