BULAWAYO-
Three
people
died
and
18
others
were
injured
after
a
Stallion
Cruise
bus
and
two
haulage
trucks
collided
along
the
Bulawayo-Victoria
Falls
road
on
Wednesday
evening,
police
confirmed.
The
crash
happened
at
around
6.30PM
near
the
first
tollgate
in
Umguza.
Police
said
the
bus
driver
“encroached
into
the
lane
of
oncoming
traffic
after
trying
to
overtake
a
Volvo
haulage
truck,”
leading
to
a
head-on
collision
with
another
truck
travelling
in
the
opposite
direction.
“Prior
to
the
head
on,
the
bus
swerved
to
the
right
side
hitting
the
truck
which
was
going
in
the
same
direction
from
rear
right
corner
of
the
trailer,”
police
said
in
a
statement.
“As
result
of
the
head
on
collision,
one
male
person
was
thrown
from
the
bus
into
truck’s
front
passenger
seat
and
he
died
on
the
spot
and
another
female
passenger
who
was
in
the
oncoming
truck
also
died
because
of
the
impact
of
the
collision.”
A
third
victim
died
in
hospital
on
Wednesday,
bringing
the
confirmed
death
toll
to
three.
Police
said
18
other
passengers
sustained
various
injuries
and
were
ferried
to
local
hospitals
for
treatment.
The
bus
and
both
trucks
were
extensively
damaged.
Police
believe
the
crash
was
caused
by
“speeding,
overtaking
error,
inattention
and
misjudgment
by
the
bus
driver,”
and
say
a
charge
of
culpable
homicide
is
being
preferred
against
him.
Bulawayo
provincial
police
spokesperson
Inspector
Msebele
Nomalanga
urged
motorists
to
be
cautious
on
the
roads.
“Police
is
appealing
to
motorists
to
exercise
due
care,
avoid
overspeeding,
be
patient
on
our
roads
and
to
always
follow
road
traffic
regulations
so
as
to
avoid
loss
of
lives,”
she
said.