On 7 February 2013, a bus collided with a

semi-truck A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer a ...

and a

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

on the Great North Road, between the towns of

Chibombo Chibombo is a town in the Central Province of Zambia, and is headquarters of Chibombo District. The town lies near the Lukanga Swamp. It is 95 km north of Lusaka and 45 km south-west of Kabwe on the Great North Road. Chibombo is home of the Lu ...

and

Kabwe Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province and the Kabwe District, with a population estimated at 202,914 at the 2010 census. Named Broken Hill until 1966, it was founded when lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also ...

in the Central Province of

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

, resulting in the deaths of 49 of the 73 persons on the bus, – Note: early news reported 53 fatalities. This figure of 51 is the number used by the police and the legal services. and of the truck driver and his assistant. A further 28 people were injured. The crash was one of the worst in the history of Zambia, and was compared to a 2005 bus accident in which 38 high school students died and another 50 were seriously injured.

Details

The 74-seat bus, operated by Zambia Postal Services, left

Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia and third in terms of size and population, with a population of 475,194 (''2010 census provisional''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development aft ...

, in the

Copperbelt Province Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia which covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immed ...

at 04:30

CAT The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

, and was heading toward Zambia's capital,

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

. The road connecting Lusaka to

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

is a two-lane highway known for having heavy traffic. District Commissioner Priscilla Chisha reported that a

attempting to pass the bus crashed head-on into an oncoming truck, sending it into the bus' path, while a survivor of the accident stated that the bus swerved into the truck to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Kanjela said that even hours after the crash it was not possible to enter the bus wreckage to determine if there were other trapped passengers.

Criminal investigation

An official of the office of the

vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

told press that all the vehicles involved were

speeding Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

. The driver of the SUV, a farm manager from South Africa, was arrested and charged with "51 counts of causing death by dangerous driving", according to Kanjela.

Reaction

President

Michael Sata Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a maj ...

offered his condolences to the families of the victims; "We pray that the Lord almighty grants the bereaved families comfort and strength during this very painful period." Chief Government spokesperson

Kennedy Sakeni Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

also offered condolences on behalf of the government, and pledged work would be done to minimise future tragedies. On 8 February, the government declared three days of

national mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...

. South African President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

offered his condolences to the people of Zambia in a statement stating "Our hearts go out to the families, relatives and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts are with the injured as we wish them a speedy recovery."

References

{{reflist 2013 in Zambia 2013 road incidents Central Province, Zambia Road incidents in Zambia February 2013 events in Africa