President mourns victims of Morogoro road crash

MOROGORO: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has expressed her heartfelt condolences to Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Adam Malima, following the deaths of ten people in a road accident that occurred on Wednesday in the region.

The accident occurred at Maseyu Village, Gwata Ward, Morogoro District, along the Morogoro – Dar es Salaam highway.

It involved a minibus with registration number T 1662 DMD belonging to Bil Mawio Company travelling from Morogoro to Tanga and a HOWO truck with registration T 956 ELW, owned by Kikori Company. The two vehicles collided head-on and later caught fire.

In a statement released yesterday by the Directorate of Presidential Communications, President Samia urged drivers and all road users to strictly observe traffic laws and road safety regulations to prevent avoidable accidents.

The President also offered her condolences to the grieving families, prayed for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace and wished a swift recovery to all those injured.

The statement further indicated that nine bodies are being kept at Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital, while one body is at Mikese Health Centre.

Of the ten bodies, five have been identified, while the remaining five remain unidentified due to severe burns.

DNA samples have been taken from the unidentified bodies for further examination.

According to the police, the deceased included two women and eight men, all of whom were passengers on the bus.

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“A total of 23 people were injured and admitted to Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital. Eleven have since been treated and discharged, while 12 remain under medical care,” the statement added.

Morogoro Regional Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Alex Mkama had earlier said that the minibus, driven by Swalehe Adam, was travelling from Morogoro to Mombo in Tanga when it was involved in the fatal crash.

The truck was being driven by the driver identified as Abuu, a resident of Msoga in Chalinze District.

“The collision caused both vehicles to catch fire immediately, completely destroying them,” said SACP Mkama, adding that the impact resulted in deaths, injuries and extensive damage to property.

He said the ten people who died were burnt beyond recognition, making it impossible to identify them by name or gender at the scene.