27 October 2008
MORE than 57 people were seriously injured in Lufwanyama yesterday when they fell off a truck they were travelling in as the driver attempted to negotiate a turn on the narrow road that connects Chief Lumpuma and Chief Nkana's chiefdoms.
The accident occurred around 08:00 hours at Iso turnoff when a Fuso Fighter, registration number ACL 698, which carried MMD cadres who were going to attend a rally at Kalumbwa High School which was being addressed by the acting President Rupiah Banda during his campaign trails on the Copperbelt got involved in the accident.
A witness said the truck had carried people from Lumpuma and Mibenge villages, and attributed the accident to overloading.
And one of the victims, Sydney Chozo, a grade 11 pupil of Mitanto High school in Kitwe, said the truck was overloaded and that the tailgate flew open when the driver swerved at a tight corner.
He said the truck had carried over 150 people as the driver of the truck kept on loading people wherever he found them, saying that he did not want to make another trip to ferry people.
A check at St Joseph's Hospital found a heavy presence of medical personnel from Lufwanyama and Kalulushi District health offices attending to victims who had remained at the institution awaiting to be evacuated to Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) for treatment and further examinations.
And a medical staff at St Joseph's Mission Hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity said the centre had recorded 57 victims and about 46 had been referred to KCH.
The staff said most of the victims who had been referred to KCH sustained multiple injuries and fractured upper and lower limbs.
He added that others were bleeding from the mouths and ears due to suspected head injuries.
He also disclosed that the most serious case was that of a woman who was bleeding profusely from the ears, mouth and nose and had difficulties in breathing and was among those who were rushed to KCH.
The truck is parked at St Joseph's Mission Hospital grounds and efforts to get a comment from police failed.
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