Cyclist crashed dead in Huye accident

A cyclist yesterday died on the spot after being hit by a truck a few kilometres from Butare town in Huye District.The accident occurred when the truck failed to negotiate a bend on the road at the ‘Ku Mukobwa Mwiza’ black spot and overturned, falling over the cyclist who was carrying tomatoes to Butare town, according to eyewitnesses.The truck, which was carrying bricks and other construction materials, was en route to Rusizi District from Mombasa, Kenya.The victim was identified as Anselm Harorimana, a resident of Save Sector in the neighbouring Gisagara District. He is survived by a wife and one child.The truck driver and his co-driver survived the accident with minor injuries and were by press time admitted to the University Teaching Hospital of Butare.Sources at the hospital said the driver and his co. were out of danger.An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Ernest, told this paper that he was also riding a bicycle a few metres ahead of the victim.“I heard a huge bang,” he said, describing the moment the truck overturned. “When I looked back to see what was happening, I realised that it had overturned at the spot in which Harorimana was.”The mystery spotPolice in Southern Province said they were yet to identify the cause of the accident but warned drivers to always respect traffic rules and road signs.Ku mukobwa mwiza bend is a black spot that is often blamed for several accidents at the scene, especially those involving foreign truck drivers.Because the road-curve, located at about three kilometres from Huye town on the highway to Kigali, has led to one too many accidents, theories keep coming up as locals attempt to explain why it is a black spot.The most told story is a superstitious tale of a ‘beautiful lady’ who is said to be behind the tragic accidents, a theory that has earned the corner the name of Ku mukobwa mwiza (which literary translates as “At the beautiful lady’s place”).However, others say the spot is just tricky to negotiate, especially for non-familiar motorists.

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Cyclist crashed dead in Huye accident