BULAWAYO
–
At
least
two
people
were
killed
and
17
others
injured
on
Wednesday
night
after
a
commuter
omnibus
ploughed
into
a
crowd
of
evening
commuters
and
street
vendors
at
an
illegal
taxi
rank
in
Bulawayo,
police
said.
The
blue
Toyota
‘Baby
Quantum’
which
was
picking
up
passengers
at
an
undesignated
location
struck
pedestrians
at
the
intersection
of
6th
Avenue
and
Lobengula
Street
shortly
before
9PM.
Witnesses
said
the
driver
attempted
to
flee
on
foot
after
the
vehicle
came
to
a
halt
but
was
swiftly
apprehended
and
arrested.
Those
hit
by
the
out-of-control
vehicle
had
no
warning
as
it
came
hurtling
towards
them,
ramming
into
pushcarts,
vending
stalls
and
crashing
into
another
commuter
omnibus
as
people
screamed
and
scattered.
Two
people
died
on
the
spot,
police
confirmed.
A
large
crowd
later
gathered
as
officers
removed
the
bodies,
wrapped
in
red
blankets.
Seventeen
injured
victims
were
rushed
to
hospital,
some
with
serious
injuries.
Police
said
investigations
were
underway
to
establish
the
cause
of
the
crash
amid
fears
the
death
toll
could
rise.
The
tragedy
is
expected
to
reignite
calls
for
authorities
to
restore
order
in
Bulawayo’s
central
business
district,
particularly
around
the
illegal
6th
Avenue
taxi
rank
where
unregulated
commuter
pick-ups
and
street
vending
are
rampant.
The
official
Egodini
taxi
rank
is
located
just
a
short
distance
away,
but
some
commuter
omnibus
drivers
reportedly
prefer
operating
closer
to
the
CBD
in
an
effort
to
load
passengers
more
quickly.