Minister Massi campaign convoy hits 5 children, kills 1

A convoy that was part of Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines, Aggrey Massi’s entourage, Friday hit six children and killed on on the spot as the minister conducted whistle stop tours in Lilongwe’s Area 36.

Massi is  former parliamentarian for Lilongwe City West, and is presently on a campaign marathon to retain his seat.

According to the accident, which Nyasa Times witnessed at M’buka Primary School near Phwetekere Market, it was noted the drivers of the vehicles on the convoy had been careless.

“They knew this place is full of children, and the vehicles on the minister’s convoy were speeding too much. They disregarded the fact that there were multitudes of children playing along the road,” an eye witness, Samuel Misomali, told Nyasa Times.

After hitting the six children in succession, the convoy did not stop to help a situation that forced people to throw stones at the vehicles but did not succeed as they sped off quickly.

“When we looked at the hit children, we found out that one was already lifeless. The other five were arrive and we rushed them to Kamuzu Central Hospital with a well wisher’s vehicle,” said Misomali.

Elsewhere, three people died while several others sustained various injuries on Wednesday after a Scania Marcopollo  bus they were travelling in overturned at Chitsulo Village along M5 Road in Ntcheu.

Ntcheu Police Station spokesperson Hastings Chigalu said the accident involved a UDK bus registration MC 4616. Chigalu said the bus was coming  from Balaka, heading to  Salima.

He said the bus overturned after it hit an ox-cart which was going in the same direction.

“The driver lost control after hitting the ox-cart, forcing the bus to swerve to the other lane and overturn,” he said.

Chigalu said bodies of the three, who died on the spot, are being kept at Balaka District Hospital mortuary awaiting to be identified while the injured were referred to the same hospital for treatment.

The bus had 30 people on board, according to Chigalu.

Meanwhile, a charge of causing death by reckless driving awaits the driver who went missing after the accident. –Additional reporting by Malawi News Agency (Mana)