27 killed, 7 injured as minibus carrying churchgoers crashes into truck in Zimbabwe

At least 27 people were killed and seven others injured after a minibus carrying churchgoers collided head-on with a truck in central Zimbabwe, according to AFP report citing police.

The crash took place at around 1830 GMT on Friday near Chivhu, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) south of the capital Harare. The minibus was carrying worshippers travelling to a religious conference when it collided with the foreign-registered haulage truck.

Truck was overtaking when crash occurred

According to police, the truck was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the minibus. Both vehicles were carrying an unknown number of passengers.

Footage shared by Zimbabwe’s public broadcaster ZBC showed the minibus severely damaged and burned out, while the truck had come to a stop on the opposite side of the road.

The crash occurred along a remote, flat stretch of highway surrounded by low vegetation and open terrain.

Deadly road crashes are frequent in Zimbabwe, where years of underfunding and poor maintenance have left many roads riddled with potholes. Poor driving standards have also contributed to the country’s road safety concerns.

Privately operated minibus taxis, locally known as kombis, are widely used for everyday transport but have often faced criticism over overloading.

The latest accident comes after several other deadly crashes in Zimbabwe this year.

In April, at least 18 people were killed when a minibus caught fire on a highway in southern Zimbabwe. Earlier that month, a woman and her five children were killed when their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on a highway connecting Zimbabwe and South Africa.