Twenty-Seven Killed and Seven Injured After Minibus Taxi Carrying Church Members Collides with Truck

At least 27 people were killed and seven others injured after a minibus packed with churchgoers collided head-on with a haulage truck in Zimbabwe.

The horrific crash happened around 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, along the Harare-Masvingo Road in Chivhu, near Makumimavi Primary School, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Authorities said a Nissan Caravan NV350 minibus was involved in a head-on collision with a Volvo haulage truck.

Police believe the foreign-registered truck was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it slammed into the minibus traveling in the opposite direction.

The minibus was carrying members of the African Apostolic Church who were traveling from Dema to Mvuma for a church conference.

The African Apostolic Church is a well-known Christian denomination in Zimbabwe whose members are recognizable for traditionally wearing white robes.

The collision quickly turned catastrophic.

Photos and video from the scene showed that the minibus apparently burst into flames after the impact, leaving little more than a burned-out shell behind.

Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Itayi Ndudzo said 23 victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Four more later died from their injuries after being taken to hospitals, bringing the death toll to 27.

Seven other people were injured.

Authorities have not yet publicly released the names of those killed.

The tragedy comes as Zimbabwe continues to struggle with a devastating road safety problem.

The country’s traffic safety agency has previously said Zimbabwe has one of the highest road accident fatality rates in Africa.

National statistics cited by the Associated Press indicate that a road crash occurs roughly every 15 minutes in the country, with an average of about five people killed and 38 injured each day.

Police are continuing to investigate the deadly collision.