Mnangagwa declares state of disaster after commuter omnibus explosion kills at least 18 returning from funeral

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a State of Disaster following a horrific road accident along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge Highway that claimed the lives of all passengers aboard a commuter omnibus, Thursday.

Police said the commuter omnibus was carrying around 18 people when it caught fire and exploded.

Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe who visited the accident scene said the vehicle was carrying mourners returning from a funeral in Nkayi.

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a State of Disaster following the incident along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge Road.

“ZRP and other security agents are busy investigating, so the cause of the accident is not yet known, but we are so saddened as Zimbabweans and the government,” he said.

Garwe conveyed condolences from Mnangagwa to the bereaved families.

“All the passengers in the commuter omnibus perished. Some bodies have been identified and some have been burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

Preliminary reports indicate the commuter omnibus caught fire and was engulfed in flames, leaving no survivors in one of the deadliest road accidents in recent months.