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Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
AT least 23 people, including 18 members of the Joice Mujuru-led National People’s Party, were injured when a vehicle they were travelling in rammed into a tree after it failed to stop at an intersection on the outskirts of Chinhoyi. A doctor who stopped to assist the injured also got hit by another vehicle which broke his legs. The kombi, with 18 passengers, failed to stop at the Alaska road turn-off near Chinhoyi Caves and hit a tree on Saturday at around 6pm.

As people gathered and motorists stopped to render assistance, a truck towing another truck failed to stop and rammed into cars parked along the road injuring more people.

Among the injured were members of the NPP who were coming from Alaska where elections to choose a provincial executive had been held.

The injured were rushed to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital while others were taken to Harare for further attention. A member of the NPP said the kombi was ferrying people back to Sanyati after participating in the elections.

“Those injured were people headed for Sanyati after the elections. The driver must have failed to realise that he was approaching a T-junction and failed to stop resulting in the accident,” said the official, who preferred anonymity citing protocol.

The kombi crossed the Harare-Chirundu road and flew over a ditch before ramming into a tree. Several accidents have occurred at the intersection as motorists coming from Alaska fail to see that the road is coming to an end.

The injured include Dr Samuel Mvurume, who had stopped to render assistance to the accident victims.

He was hit by the truck which also failed to stop at the T-junction.

He sustained broken legs and was taken to a hospital in Harare.

It is suspected the driver of the truck that was towing another truck panicked after seeing hoards of people by the roadside.

No official comment could be obtained from the NPP provincial leadership or the police.