Malawi roads tragedy: 6 killed in Dedza, 5 in Mzimba

December 29, 2014 Martin Kalima -Nyasa Times 70 Comments
6 died in a crash involving a bus and a car
6 died in a crash involving a bus and a car
Badly damaged
Badly damaged
The bus involved in the accident
The bus involved in the accident
Mzimba car crash
Mzimba car crash

At least six people have died and several others seriously injured after a passenger service bus they were travelling in collided with a 48 ton, heavy goods truck in Dedza, during the early hours  of Monday.

According to some eye witnesses interviewed by Nyasa Times, the truck, a freight liner registration number MB 48-48 belonging to TJF transport, which was coming from Lilongwe heading to Beira, missed its lane when it reached Dedza Islamic centre at around 1:00 am and bumped straight into the passenger bus, registration number RU 5115, which was ferrying passengers from Blantyre to Lilongwe.

Dedza police publicist Edward Kabango, told Nyasa Times that six of the several passengers in the bus have critical injuries, some having their legs amputated at Dedza district hospital.

Kabango said the driver of the truck, Gabriel Kalemba, who has Mozambican particulars is still in a critical condition as he has serious fractures on both of his legs such that he could not give his recount of the scene.

“We are still waiting for the condition of the truck driver to normalize before we get his side of the story” said Kabango.

Only three identities of the deceased have so far been established, among which is the bus driver, Costafu Chikondi Nkhata, 37, who hails from Malili Village, TA Kayembe, in Dowa district. The others are MacPherson Kamowa, 38, from Mbedza village, TA Kuntaja, Blantyre and Francis Nkhoma, an adult whose age could not be established, from Joriji Village, TA Mpama, Chiradzulu.

The injured were to be transferred to Kamuzu Central Hospital. This according to Dedza police, is the first major accident to happen in the district during the festive season.

Elsewhere

In Mzimba, four people have died while 3 others have sustained serious injuries  after a vehicle they were travelling in from Chikangawa to Mzimba got involved in an accident at Mzimba bridge  Monday morning.

Mzimba police spokesperson constable Gabriel Chiona said the driver  Ms Yamikani Kalumwiyo, 30  lost control of the vehicle after the rear left tyre got burst near the bridge at Mzimba river.

” The driver failed to control the vehicle and it hit both sides of the bridge and fell into the river,”said Constable Chiona.

Chiona said three people died on the spot while others were rushed to Mzimba district hospital where they are receiving treatment

The deceased are ; Bright Jiya 18 years of Kumponda Village in the area Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre (2) Mclean Sakala 24, Manziri village ,T/A Kampingo sibande , Mzimba (3) Mr yona Mukumbwa 31 Chinuka village , T/A Mwaulambia in Chitipa (4) Jonathan Chilembo 56 of Makula village T/A Katumbi in Rumphi District

Meanwhile the bodies are lying at the same facility awaiting burial arrangements by relations.

The police are appealing to motorists to be on their guard and drive at the recommended speed as stipulated by the road signs. –(Reporting from Mzimba, Mchentche Banda – Nyasa Times)

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Follow us in Twitter

70 replies on “Malawi roads tragedy: 6 killed in Dedza, 5 in Mzimba”

  2. Jonathan Chilembo….our church choir instructor at Lilongwe Congregation of the Synod of Livingstonia! I am saddened by your untimely departure Sir! We are lucky we had the opportunity to have you teach us how to sing well. Today the choir keeps growing from strength to strength because of the good foundation you laid down for us. May your soul rest in eternal peace Jonathan. Till we meet again in God’s Glory. Amen.

  5. zomvetsa chisoni kwambiri for the country to loose these people. may their soul rest in peace. A polisi, Road Traffic and Road Safety Council gwirani ntchito mowopa mulungu kuti mwina zinthu ngati izi zichepeko.

  7. Tipepheko apolice kuti muzigwira nthito yanu moopa MULunGU kuti musiye katangale pa msewu chifukwa inuyo ndiye amene mulikupangitsaso thawi zina

  12. I’m afraid to break it to alot of people and this comment will sound dismissive of what people believe in, but trust me I believe in God.
    This accident has nothing to do with God not having mercy on us Malawians and on the other hand it has nothing to do with the devil.

    What I’m I trying to say then. Malawians we too simplistic when things like this happen. We just do the lazy thinkers’ approach and say that its the devil’s work.

    This tragedy has all to do with our systems..its got everything to do with corruption in. Too many non road worthy vehicle roaming our roads…too many drunk drivers going unpunished, too little thinking put into road engineering and repairs, too many poorly trained drivers on the road.
    Until we look within ourselves and start taking responsibility, I’m afraid my verdict is that we will continue to die in this way.
    It doesn’t matter how much prayer is put into your journey, if your vehicle is not roadworthy, you are putting yourself at risk of dying if you are taking that journey. If you are not trained properly as a driver, I’m afraid you might die on any of your journeys you take…its as simple as that.

    End of my rant…

    My condolences to the families of the deceased.

  18. One can identify his relation died accidentally through graphic picture. It is imposible for a lower Shire man to know if one of deceased by Dedza bus accident is of the same blood.

  19. Khansalala Tembo na wena nyambose mwakondwa na nyifwa ya chilembo takwiya namwe chomene pa ivyo mukuyowoya vya nyifwa iyi.ka wana mulelenge ndimwe wamalemu chitima chatikola chomene nyifwa ni nyifwa tikukondwa nayo yayi.

  20. Death does not comes only ti sick people. 90% of these people were strongly health. If we are alive be glad not only that you are alive, but you have time to repent, so that when this End Time, it must not be end of Life to come.

  28. MR PRESIDENT PUNISH THESE JUDGES BECAUSED THEY INDEED BLUNDERED AND TELL THEM KUTI BOMA LILIBE NDALAMA ZONGOWONONGA MILANDU KUKANIKA KUGAMULA KUMATHEREA OUTSIDE COURT IWO VI! VI NDI MA PRADO

  29. THIS MOZAMBICAN DRIVER WAS SLEEPING AND MALAWI MUST PUNISH THIS DRIVER AND THE OWNER TO PAY HEAVILY. MALAWI LAWS ARE TOO WEAK UPON FOREINERS AND IF THIS HAPPENED IN MOZAMBIQUE BY OUR DRIVER THE AUTHORITIES THERE WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM INSTANTLY. MOST OF THE TIME THEY SAY ” MWACHOKA KWANU KU MALAWI KUDZAPHA ANTHU KUNO KU MOZAMBIQUE KWANU KULIBE ANTHU ?” A MALAWI ANTHU AKU MOZAMBIQUE ARE TOO CRUEL IN THEIR COUNTRY AND WE HAVE SUFFERED TO HELLO DRIVING IN THAT COUNTRY. WITHOUT ANY VALID REASON WE HAVE PAID $2000.00 JUST FOR PUTTING A SUITCASE ON THE BACK SEAT AND ORDER US TO BUILD A CARRIER ON TOP OF OUR MBW AND THE OFFICER IN CHARGE DEMANDED $ 4000.00 IF WE WANTED TO PROCEED TO MALAWI AND FINALLY WE SETTLED AT $3000.00 AND YET HERE IN MALAWI THEY CAN EVEN PARK ON THE MAIN ROAD AND OUR POLICE SALUTES FOR THEM FOOLISH KUSAYENDA MBUZI. THE DRIVER IS JUST BUYING TIME WAITING FOR HIS BOSS TO CORRUPT OUR POLICE.

  30. Oh Gosh what canone say! There is a lot to be done around driving in our country. More stringent cntrols are needed.

    Ambuye akhale nanu onse ofedwa ndiamene muli pa ululu. Zachisoni kwambiri

  31. So sorry, chili chose chikungolakwika, Mwana akadayenda bwino masankho, Mwana kumwamba akadativerako chifundo. Koma masankho olakwika, akhoti nkhani adaweruza usiku, a MEC ulengeza usiku anthu akugona kaya amati amve ndani, zaumbuli, a pulesident zolankhula an got I fwefwe fwefwe ndiye mdalitso tingawuone kuti vula ni iyi. Sad. RIP

  34. May the good Lord,the most merciful be with & heal all our fellow Malawians injured on the spot at Mzimba bridge as well as Dedza.In HIM,we trust.May the soul of those died on the spot at both areas rest in eternal peace.

  38. you evil people, take down those photos of dead people emmidiately!!!! we are africans and respect our dead. ndi abale a anthu amenewo. shit

  39. May their souls rest in peace. For Nyasa Times, please next time do not display the pictures of the deceased persons like you did above. What you did here is pure mockery to the deceased, their families and also to our Malawian tradition. It will be very good if you can write an article to apologise to your readers regarding this immoral act.

  40. RIP. The only genuine solution to minimize these fatal accidents is to have duo carriage road between Lilongwe and Blantyre. The two lanes we have now should be used by vehicles going in the same direction and we need to construct other two lanes for vehicles going in the opposite direction. But with the crop of leaders we have today I don’t see this taken as a priority what they know best is to amass wealth for themselves.

  48. Once again, why not covering the bodies before taking the pictures for public consumption. You need to be sued in order to learn a lesson.

  53. Why Malawi?? The other fatal accident has just happened along Chidzanja Road at Golden Gate School in Lilongwe. Thieves have just been short in Lilongwe again. Something wrong with our Road Traffic regulations and traffic police. Something wrong with our security agencies in Malawi, just imagine of thieves from Mozambique to still in Malawi

  54. you know my fellow malawians it si indeed good that u inform us on current affairs but its not good to use graphics that are not edited like the ones that has been shown above please

  60. So sad, It looks its high time the trucks are banned from traveling in the late hours, like after 11pm.

    1. I reckon there are no dead bodies pictured in here.its just wreckages of the bus and truck that are shown here plus people probably rescuers or curious ones

  66. thats bad news. may their souls RIP . and may the almighty God protect those who are traveling into different destinations this season. BE COVERED WITH DE BLOOD OF JESUS.

Comments are closed.