5 people die, several injured on Great East road accidents
By staff Reporter
Five people have died while others survived with serious injuries in an accident which occurred on Sunday around 18:20 hours on Great East road, 80 kilometers west of Nyimba Boma in Eastern province.
In a statement, Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo said the accident happened over the long weekend involving Justin Banda aged 25 years of Riverside Compound in Petauke district.
She said Banda was driving a Volvo truck and trailer from eastern to western direction loaded with 500 x 50 kgs bags of maize and eight passengers on board.
Katongo said the truck failed to ascend an uphill and rolled backwards and over turned on the left side of the road killing the five passengers, seriously injuring one while the driver and two other passengers escaped unhurt.
Meanwhile, Katongo disclosed that in another road accident, five passengers sustained serious injuries yesterday around 14:30 hours along the Great East road at Manenekela area.
“Involved was a driver only identified as Mabvuto aged 43 who was driving a motor vehicle Scania Marcopolo bus, property of Kapena Coaches from east to west and the driver sustained minor injuries.Also involved were five passengers who sustained serious injuries and were rushed to UTH and LEVY hospital respectively. The other 78 passengers sustained minor injuries,” said Katongo
