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17 May 2013 Year 23 Vol: 36
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Horror crash claims 13 By Kaizer Nengovhela Thirteen Zimbabweans died and seven were critically injured when their taxi collided with a truck that was stranded in the middle of the road. The accident happened near the Baobab Toll Plaza along the N1 near Musina last Thursday morning. Rescue workers had to use the jaws of life to cut away the wrecked taxi and get to the victims trapped underneath the truck. Col Ronél Otto, spokesperson for the poThe stationary truck, with part of the wreckage of the taxi in the front of the photo.
Thirteen passengers died in this taxi last Thursday morning.
2008 Mercedes Benz C350 A/T AMG, Nav, A/C, CD, S/Roof 140 400km
lice in Limpopo, told Limpopo Mirror that the taxi had been overloaded, with 20 Zimbabwean nationals, including the driver. She said the group were on their way back to their country when the horror accident took place. According to her, 12 people died at the scene, while one passed away in the Musina Hospital. Otto added
that a culpable homicide case had been opened and that the police were still investigating the cause of the accident. She also mentioned that the police were looking into the possibility that the driver of the taxi might have been tired. The spokesperson for the Department of Roads and Transport, Mr Joshua Kwapa, confirmed that the taxi was overloaded when the accident happened. He said the taxi crashed into the rear of the truck that was in the middle of the road. In 2005, 19 Zimbabweans died when the taxi in which they were travelling plunged over a cliff on the same road, near the Hendrik Verwoerd Tunnels. Last year, 10 people died when a taxi collided with a truck near Bandelierkop. One of the survivors, Ms Mutera Mungwesu, was visibly upset and struggled to hold back her tears when Limpopo Mirror visited her in the Musina Hospital on Thursday morning. She said the 19 boarded the taxi, “longing to see our families at home. I felt tired and decided to sleep. Like a clap of thunder, I heard a loud bang. Within seconds, there were bodies scattered all over the road”. She said she cannot remember what happened after the accident, “until I found myself in this hospital bed. I strongly believe that we were saved by the grace of God.”
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