10 feared dead in road accident
AT least 10 people are feared dead after a bus they were travelling in overturned three times at Manjawira Bridge in Ntcheu yesterday afternoon.
About 40 others survived the accident but sustained serious injuries. The injured are being treated at Balaka District Hospital while others have been referred to Zomba Central Hospital.
The accident left onlookers crying while others fainted as they failed to cope with the sight of injured survivors. Only one ambulance was available to ferry injured people to the hospital while dead bodies remained on the scene of the accident.
According to an eye witness James Ngozo, the bus overturned before hitting the bridge’s barricade. “The bus was speeding. We first heard the sound of the tyres bursting, then the crashing followed. We rushed to the scene and found people crying while some pedestrians were running to safety,” Ngozo said.
According to Balaka Hospital Public Relations Officer Mercy Nyirenda some injured passengers have been referred to Zomba Central Hospital.
However, the accident has sadly exposed the country’s emergency response service after both police and medical personnel took almost two hours to rescue a woman who was trapped by the bus.
The woman continued to shout for help until her voice fainted as onlookers feared that she had died.
She was later found alive after some people managed to remove some of the parts of the bus. At this moment, the bus was lying on its side.
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