Presidential motorcade road horror leaves one dead

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 06:46:28 +0000

By Bennie Mundando

A POLICE officer died on the spot while others are reportedly nursing injuries after a Presidential motorcade was last evening involved in a road traffic mishap as the entourage that had accompanied President Edgar Lungu to Northern Province was returning to Lusaka.

The accident took place between Mpika and Chitambo on the Great North Road due to a tyre burst and unconfirmed reports indicate that a police officer died on the spot.

Both Muchinga Province commissioner of police Godwin Phiri and Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe confirmed the development to the Daily nation but could not divulge more details of the accident as it had just occurred and information was still scanty.

“I have just received a report also but I do not have details about what happened. The best person who could give you valid information is the commissioner of police because he is on the ground. Other than that there was an accident, there is nothing else I know as at now,” Mr. Sikazwe said.

But when contacted for a comment, Mr. Phiri referred all queries to police spokesperson Esther Mwata Katongo.

When told that Ms. Katongo had already been contacted and that she did not have information about the same, he said the police could not relay information to the public before engaging relatives of the deceased.

“Just give us a little bit more time to work and we shall let you know at the rightful time. This is a sensitive matter and we cannot relay information to the public before we engage the relatives of the deceased. The accident has just happened and we need to gather more information,” Mr. Phiri said.