Monday 13 November 2017

THE FISHING EXPEDITION THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

Six people who died last Friday in Mt Hampden along Lomagundi Road after their vehicle crashed into a goods train were all friends and retirees who were on their way to a fishing expedition, it has emerged. 

The team reportedly had a car breakdown the previous day (Thursday) on the same spot while going for fishing, leading to the abandonment of the journey. However, tragedy struck the following day, when the driver reportedly failed to give way to a goods train at a railway crossing in Mt Hampden on the outskirts of Harare.

Police, through national spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, said they would provide full identification details of the six deceased today. Three of the four deceased, who were all from Warren Park 1 in Harare, were buried yesterday. A visit to Warren Park by The Herald yesterday revealed a dark cloud, with residents and friends shell-shocked with the incident. Mr Noel Jacob, the younger brother of the deceased Mr Clever Jacob (69), said his brother had always been a fisherman.

“My late brother had always been a fisherman and they had a fishing club with his other late friends, whom he would go for fishing with,” said Mr Jacob.

“The previous day (Thursday), they went for fishing and their car developed a mechanical fault on the same spot where the tragedy struck. They escaped death by a whisker after a haulage truck nearly ploughed into their stationary vehicle, leading to the abandonment of the trip. Then on Friday, they took another car belonging to our uncle. Upon arrival at the same spot, they found a haulage truck which was giving way to a goods train. It was reported that the driver failed to realise that there was a goods train, leading to the tragedy.” Mr Jacob said he was unaware of their specific destination on the day.

“We did not know where these people were going. We were later shocked to learn of their deaths. He is survived by his wife and six children. My brother was a retiree and took fishing as a hobby, which he always partook with his other five friends. The accident dealt us a major blow since he was a pillar of the family, it pained us. However, being Christians as we are, know that death is always there, only differentiated by ways in which we all die,” he said. He said, the late Clever was the eldest in their family and was buried at Zororo Memorial Park in Chitungwiza. Herald

0 comments:

Post a Comment