Harare fire victims ignored driver's warning

National Traffic Police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome says three people who were burnt to death and 16 others that were injured when the haulage tanker they were siphoning fuel from suddenly exploded into flames following an accident with a Toyota sport car along Boshoff Drive in Sunningdale on Saturday could have avoided the tragedy by listening to the tanker driver's warning to stay away from the vehicle.

While the official figure indicates three deaths, there were reports that as many as SEVEN people might have died from the fire, four of them reduced to ashes! That could not be verified with the police. "Three people were burnt to death and 16 were injured and taken to Harare Hospital on Saturday night. "The deaths were not caused by the impact after the accident but by the people who jostled to siphon fuel after the accident before the tanker caught fire.

"The driver had warned the victims but no one paid any attention to him," said Chigome. The fire brigade found the fire daunting as their water source was about 2km away at Julie Whyte along Kelvin Road South. When H-Metro arrived the fire fighters were busy cordoning off the area to prevent people from getting too close to the balls of fire before connecting their tankers to tap water from Kelvin Road South.

A divisional officer from fire brigade Erasmus Gudza who was at the scene told H-Metro that vandalism of infrastructure close to the scene had greatly hampered their efforts. "We had to tap water 2km away from the scene due to vandalism at the nearby suburb and the industrial area," he said. He further explained that the weak pressure from the tap water was not sufficient to put out a fire of that magnitude.

"We had to watch helplessly as two other vehicles including a commuter omnibus were engulfed by the raging flames. "I suspect a person was smoking within close proximity to the spilling petrol causing the tanker to catch fire. "There could have been more casualties but we managed to control the crowd surging forward for a better look," said Gudza.

According to eye witness accounts the haulage truck was involved in an accident with a Toyota before it overturned and began to leak fuel. Bystanders rushed forward wanting to drain fuel but the tanker burst into a ball of fire a few minutes later it is said. A sombre mood permeated the ghastly scene as Sunningdale residents waited to identify their loved ones. This incident is reminiscent of the Nigerian oil spills that claimed the lives of many in recent years

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