17 perish in horror bus crash on Great East Road

Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

By OSCAR MALIPENGA

It has been established that the driver and the operator of Kapena Bus Services which claimed seventeen lives in a road horror yesterday defied the provisions of the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 76 which restricts the movement of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) at night, Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has revealed.

The agency has also established that Kapena Bus Services has on several occasions been operating outside the provisions of the SI No. 76 despite the Agency having warned and impounded the operator for violating the law.

According to RTSA, on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at around 21:00hours a few kilometers before the Luangwa Bridge, seventeen people died on the spot while 48 others sustained injuries in a road traffic accident which happened along Great East Road.

Meanwhile, Police public relations officer Esther Katongo, said survivors were admitted to Mumpashya and Katondwe Mission Hospitals respectively.

Ms Katongo explained that the accident happened between Luangwa Market and Luangwa Bridge at about 21 08 hours after the driver of the Scania bus registration number ABP 6303 belonging to Kapena Transport which was Eastern bound failed to negotiate a curve forcing the bus to overturn.

“Among the dead are three juveniles, six male adults and eight female adults. The driver of the bus is among the 48 injured.

“The bodies are being transported to the two above mentioned hospital mortuaries,” she said.

Ms Katongo appealed to members of the public who could have relatives on the bus to travel to Luangwa to help in identifying the bodies of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has revealed that according to their preliminary investigation conducted, the accident involving a Kapena Bus Services failed to negotiate a curve and lost control.

Head of public relations Fredrick Mubanga disclosed that one of the survivors identified as Sikombe Banda revealed to the Agency that the accident occurred around 21:00hrs few kilometers before the Luangwa Bridge.

“It has been established that the driver and the operator defied the provisions of the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 76 which restricts the movement of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) at night.

“It has further been established that Kapena Bus Services has on several occasions been operating outside the provisions of the SI No. 76 and the Agency has on several instances warned and impounded the operator for violating the law,” he said.

Mr. Mubanga said the Agency would take appropriate action concerning the operator who was supposed to ensure that the buses or fleet team operated within the provisions of the law.

“The RTSA is further calling upon the travelling public to report such violations to avoid road traffic accidents and should refuse to be commuted outside the approved driving hours under the law,” he said.