Sumbawanga — THREE people have died in separate road accidents which occurred in Rukwa Region on Monday, while six others sustained severe injuries and have been hospitalised.

Acting Rukwa Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Longinus Tibishubwana, confirmed the incidents, in one of which a resident from Kizwite area in Sumbawanga municipality died on the spot, after a motor vehicle ran over him as he was fighting with the driver of the vehicle while it was speeding.

Narrating the grisly road accident, the RPC said it involved a Scania lorry with registration numbers T 548 AED belonging to William Palyango of Dar es Salaam and was driven by Keneth Mlwilo (29), a resident from Malangali in the municipality.

According to acting RPC, before the accident occurred in the morning the deceased, who was a famous shoe shiner from Mazwi NMC area in the municipality, was at his workplace when suddenly the speeding vehicle knocked down the table on which several shoes were spread, completely damaging both the table and the shoes.

It was alleged that the table was placed very close to Nelson Mandela road in the municipality. "The shoe shiner got very angry after the lorry had knocked down his table and the driver refused to stop in order to negotiate for compensation.

Therefore, the enraged youth ran after the lorry and managed to cling to the driver's door, forcing it to stop while the vehicle was still at high speed," he said, "But while he was fighting with the driver, he suddenly fell down and was run over by the lorry, killing him on the spot, the acting RPC said, adding that the lorry driver had been apprehended and would be arraigned in court after preliminary investigation in the matter was over.

The other road accident occurred on July 25, this year, at Kanondo village on the outskirts of Sumbawanga town along the Sumbawanga - Mpanda road, involving a Fuso lorry with registration numbers T 368 BLR, the property of Alpha Mria Joseph, a resident of Dar es Salaam.

According to Mr Tibishubwamu, the vehicle caused the death of it driver's assistant , Abdulrazack Said (29), a resident of Dar es Salaam, who died on the spot, while two passengers who were travelling on it sustained severe injuries and were now admitted to the regional hospital here in critical condition.

The acting RPC named the wounded passengers as Thobias Chenje (26) and Adolf Makungu (29), both residents of Malangali area in the municipality. He attributed the cause of the accident to the driver's unwarranted drunkenness. He said the police were looking for the driver after he escaped following the accident.