2 Inter Africa buses in horror accidents hours apart: Head-on crash with Honda Fit kills 4, another overturns (SEE PICS)

Four people were killed and four others injured when an Inter Africa bus collided with a Honda Fit at the intersection of the Bulawayo-Harare highway and Cecil Avenue in Bulawayo shortly after 1am on Wednesday.

Hours later, another Inter Africa bus overturned along Gwanda Road before the Chipangili Wildlife Orphanage while travelling to Mutare. Nineteen people were injured, two of them seriously, in the 6.30am crash. No fatalities were reported.

The two Wednesday accidents left emergency crews dealing with separate bus crashes in and around Bulawayo. The first collision left four men dead at the scene, while the second involved a bus carrying 21 passengers that overturned after the driver lost control.

The Bulawayo collision happened as the bus travelled westwards along Harare Road towards the city centre. The Honda Fit was approaching the give-way intersection from Cecil Avenue when the two vehicles collided.

Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo said the force of the impact extensively damaged the Honda Fit. The bus left the road and came to rest on its right side.

“The Inter Africa bus was travelling westwards along Harare Road when it collided with a Honda Fit which was approaching the give-way intersection from Cecil Avenue,” said Mr Moyo.

“The Honda Fit was extensively damaged, while the bus veered off the road and landed on its right side off the road.”

Rescue crews found four men trapped in the wreckage. They were pronounced dead at the scene and later removed from the damaged vehicle by the City of Bulawayo Fire and Rescue Services.

“One male occupant of the Honda Fit sustained severe head injuries and was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital,” Mr Moyo said.

Three female passengers travelling on the bus suffered soft tissue injuries and were taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals. The injured people were treated at the scene before being transported to hospital.

“Four males were pronounced dead at the scene. They were trapped in the wreckage and were later extricated by the City of Bulawayo Fire and Rescue Services,” he said.

“Three patients were treated on scene and conveyed to UBH, while the fourth was taken to Mpilo. The four bodies were handed over to the police,” said Mr Moyo.

The crash brought emergency teams to the busy intersection in the early hours of the morning as they worked to reach those trapped inside the Honda Fit and the bus. The four fatalities were all men, while the three bus passengers taken to UBH were women. The fourth injured person, a man from the Honda Fit, was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital with serious head injuries.

At around 6.30am, the second Inter Africa bus was travelling along Gwanda Road towards Mutare when it overturned before the Chipangili Wildlife Orphanage. The bus was carrying 21 passengers. Nineteen were injured, including two who sustained serious injuries.

Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo confirmed the crash and said no one had died. The injured passengers were taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals by Brigade, Mars and Highway Emergency Ambulance services.

“The bus was carrying 21 passengers when the driver reportedly lost control and the bus overturned,” said Mr Moyo.

“Nineteen people were injured, with two sustaining serious injuries. They were conveyed to United Bulawayo Hospitals by Brigade, Mars and Highway Emergency Ambulance services.”

Mr Moyo said the bus was later rendered safe by Brigade personnel.

The accident came after several other incidents involving Inter Africa buses had already been recorded in Zimbabwe this year.

On 23 January, an Inter Africa bus heading for Bulawayo veered off the road about 10 kilometres from Shangani. Passengers were forced to escape through the windows after the bus left the road. Passers-by reportedly smashed the windscreen to rescue the driver. Witnesses said the bus swerved before losing control and narrowly missed vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. No deaths were reported in that incident, but the emergency escape highlighted the danger faced by passengers when a large vehicle loses control on the highway.

On 16 April, another Inter Africa bus overturned at Danger near Esigodini along the Gwanda road. Nineteen people were injured. Mr Moyo said the bus lost control and landed on its side off the road, although no one was trapped inside the vehicle.

“We received a report of an Inter Africa bus that lost control at Danger, Esigodini, along the Gwanda road. The bus landed on its side off the road. No persons were trapped,” he said.

The most serious of the earlier crashes took place on 21 August along the Gweru-Zvishavane Road. Police said the bus was carrying 61 passengers towards Zvishavane when the driver lost control while negotiating a descent at the 40-kilometre peg.

The bus veered off the road to the left, overturned and landed on its side. Two passengers died at the scene, while 22 people, including the driver, were injured. The bodies were taken to Shurugwi District Hospital for post-mortem examinations.

“The ZRP confirms a fatal road traffic accident which occurred at the 40-kilometre peg along the Gweru–Zvishavane Road on 21/08/26 at approximately 1800 hours,” the Zimbabwe Republic Police said.

“The driver of a bus carrying 61 passengers towards Zvishavane allegedly lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a descent. The bus veered off the road to the left, overturned and landed on its side.

“As a result of the accident, two passengers died on the spot, while 22 others, including the driver, sustained injuries.

“The bodies of the victims were conveyed to Shurugwi District Hospital for postmortem examinations.”

The August crash occurred at the Boterekwa section, a steep and winding stretch of road in the Shurugwi area. Early reports said injured passengers were taken to Shurugwi Hospital, where they received medical attention after the bus overturned while travelling towards Zvishavane.

The sequence of crashes has placed renewed attention on the safety of long-distance bus travel, particularly on routes that include steep descents, busy highway junctions and sections where vehicles are required to negotiate sharp changes in direction. The incidents have involved different circumstances: the fatal collision at a city intersection, the Mutare-bound bus overturning on Gwanda Road, a bus leaving the road near Shangani, an overturning at Esigodini and a fatal crash on a descent near Boterekwa.

In the Bulawayo crash, the immediate priority was the rescue of the people trapped in the wreckage and treatment of the injured. Fire and rescue personnel used specialist equipment to extricate the four bodies, while the surviving passengers were taken to hospital. Police received the bodies after the rescue operation.

The investigation into the Bulawayo collision will focus on the movements of both vehicles as they approached the Cecil Avenue junction. The bus was travelling along Harare Road, while the Honda Fit entered from Cecil Avenue. The point of impact left the smaller vehicle extensively damaged and forced the bus off the road.

For the families of the four men who died, the crash turned an ordinary journey into a night of loss. For the injured passengers, the immediate aftermath involved emergency treatment and hospital care. The repeated involvement of Inter Africa buses in serious road incidents this year has also left passengers and other road users facing renewed concern as they travel between Zimbabwe’s towns and cities.

Police and emergency services continue to handle the Bulawayo crash, while the four bodies remain in the custody of the authorities. The injured people were taken to Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals for further treatment.