A JOHANNESBURG-bound Bravo Tours bus aborted its journey to South Africa following a collision with a Mazda B1600 pick-up truck in Bulawayo yesterday.
The accident occurred near the Selborne Park Seventh Day Adventist Church along Gwanda Road.Witnesses said the bus driver applied emergency brakes to avoid hitting a cyclist who had crossed in front of the bus.
The pick-up, which was following the bus crashed into the bus and got stuck under it.
A passenger in the pick-up was severely injured while the driver escaped with minor injuries.
Passengers in the Bravo coach appeared unhurt although some complained of body and back pains from the impact.
When a Chronicle news crew arrived, the driver and passenger of the truck were lying on the ground. The wreckage of their vehicle was still stuck under the bus which seemed to have suffered minor damage.
Some passengers said the bus company provided another coach to continue the journey.
A blood-soaked final year Nust student Mr Moses Chuma said he and four other students disembarked from a taxi they were travelling in after realising that a crowd gathered at the scene was not offering assistance to the injured.
“We had just left campus when we witnessed the accident along Gwanda Road and Cecil Avenue. I was shaken by the fact that nobody seemed to help the injured but people were taking pictures of the scene, ignoring cries for help from those trapped in the car whose left side was reduced to scrap metal. We got off the kombi and assisted each other to remove the injured people from the mangled car while others called for an ambulance,” he said.
The Chronicle could not talk to the accident victims as they seemed disoriented.
A Selbourne Park resident, Mr Fanuel Maphosa, commended the Nust students for their Good Samaritan act.
“I’m very proud of these young men that took it upon themselves to assist fellow citizens while older men and women gathered for a photo session. You would expect the young ones not to value life but they showed maturity and integrity and we hope that their institution will honour them,” said Mr Maphosa.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said:
“I cannot comment on the matter because it has not yet reached the Press and Public Relations office of the police.”
A call centre attendant on the Bravo Tours Zimbabwe hotline number said she was not aware of the accident.
“We are not aware that one of our buses has been involved in an accident. Please try our other hotline numbers for assistance,” she said.
The numbers provided by the call centre attendant rang unanswered. Chronicle
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