13 People Died In A Serious Manyoni's Road Carnage

By Staff Reporter

AT least 13 people have been killed and 57 others seriously wounded in a serious road accident in which a bus with a total of 57 passengers collided with a shunting train engine at a railway crossing at around 5a.m of Wednesday in Manyoni, Singida

Confirming the accident, ACP Stella Mutahibirwa, the Regional Police Commander of Singida Regionsaid the train engine was on routine shunting.

“However, the number of deaths could rise as most of the 25 injured passengers are in critical conditions,” she said, noting that the bus was heading to Mwanza from Dar es Salaam.

She noted that the driver of the bus was attempting to rush over the railway crossing without first halting and checking train movements as traffic regulations demand.

On his side, Peter Serukamba, the Regional Commissioner (RC) for Singida, underscored over the need for the drivers in the country to abide by the set traffic regulations in order to avoid unnecessary accidents of that kind, also praising nurses and doctors at the Manyoni Hospital.

He expressed that the medical staff have demonstrated a patriotic heart as they showed intense commitment in arranging for treatment of the injured passengers.

In her statement, the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) Head of Communications, Ms Jamila Mbarouk regretted the accidents.

She detailed in a statement that out of the 13 people who died, six are women while among the 25 injured people there are seven women.

The bus of the accident, T 178 DVB belonging to Ally’s Star bus services rammed into a light train engine, V 951 9006 moving from Aghondi station , the official noted, citing the railway crossing as rail 587 kilometes point.

“TRC reminds drivers to adhere to safety regulations especially when moving across railway tracks to avoid loss of lives and injuries,” the statement reads in part.