Road carnage, mine collapse, sudden demises blacken 2025   

DAR ES SALAAM: AS the year 2025 comes to an end, Tanzania as a nation has gone through moments of inevitable joy and sadness, but through it all the country still found peace and comfort and moved on gracefully.

Losing dear ones, leaders, and fellow citizens in various accidental incidents are among the tragic moments the country has gone through.

Remembering the sad moments, though not with sadness anymore but with gratitude, is the death of 42 people who died in a tragic road accident that occurred in Same District, Kilimanjaro Region on 30 Jun 2025.

Breaking down the fatality figures, 31 of the deceased were aboard a Toyota Coaster minibus, 21 women and 10 men.

 An additional 11 victims were passengers in a Channel One company bus, including seven women and four men.

That same June on the 8th, the country was just mourning the death of  28 people who died and nine others were injured in a road accident in Mbeya city after a lorry carrying a load of flour failed to brake and rammed into two vehicles, including a commuter minibus.

Another tragedy is what happened on August 13, 2025 where 25 people were trapped underground after a section of the Nyandolwa Gold Mine in Mwongozo Village, Mwenge Ward, in Shinyanga Region collapsed during maintenance operations.

ALSO READ: Tanzania seeks  to improve the Education Act to suit current reforms

The collapse was triggered by what appeared to be a ground tremor, causing the soil to sink and bury 25 workers and technicians who were inside the shafts conducting maintenance.

The month of July had its own load of sadness too, where five students from Chalangwa Secondary School, located in Chunya District Council, Mbeya Region, died in a tragic road accident during a morning jogging exercise today. The accident involved a Safina Coach Company bus and also left nine other students injured.

In January, 2025, just at the beginning of the year where the spirit of festivals celebrations is still on, the nation had a bad news as seven students tragically lost their lives, and 82 others injured by a lightning strike during a heavy rainstorm at Businda Secondary School in the Ushirombo area of Bukombe District, Geita Region.

Bukombe District Commissioner, Pasikasi Mulagiri, told Daily News sister Newspaper, HabariLeo, stating that the lightning struck between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM, while students were in class. Out of the 82 injured students, 80 are reported to be in stable condition, while two remain in critical condition after losing consciousness and are currently receiving medical treatment.

On April 19, 2025, seven people died again, and 15 others were injured following a collision between an ambulance and a three-wheeled motorcycle, commonly known as a toyo.

The tragic accident occurred on Saturday at Luganga area within Mafinga Town Council, Mufindi District, Iringa Regio, where the victims were on their way to the farm when the crash occurred.

On Sunday, 14 September, another crash occurred in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, which claimed the lives of five members of the Kaggi family from Dar es Salaam.

Among the deceased were a father and his four children, leaving his wife, Ms Sophia Makange, as one of the surviving family members.

In the same month, just on the 16th, Four nuns of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionaries of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus died after their car collided head-on with a lorry in Mwanza.

Four people died instantly, while one succumbed at Bukumbi Hospital.

Among the dead was the Superior General of the Congregation Worldwide, Sister Nelina Semeoni (60) an Italian national, Superior of the Carmelite Missionaries, Sr Lilian Kapongo (55) of Tabora; Sr Damaris Matheka (51), Head of Bukumbi Girls’ Secondary School from Kenya; Sr Stellamaris Kamene Muthin (48) of Kenya and the driver, Mr Msonola, a resident of Bukumbi.

The nation also experienced a great loss and shock following the tragic death of Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) Managing Director, Engineer Gissima Nyamo-Hanga, and his driver, Muhajir Mohamed Haule, in a road crash in Bunda District, Mara Region.