Five perish in Rubavu road accident

Five people were confirmed dead and eight others now nursing injuries in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Gisenyi hospital following yesterday’s fatal accident along the Musanze-Rubavu highway.Of those who miraculously survived, six were treated and discharged immediately while one was transferred to Kigali in very critical condition, officials said.This is after a commuter taxi registration number RAA 254S travelling to Kigali yesterday had a head-on collision with a Fuso truck bearing a Ugandan number plate (UAM 098 V).Dr Emmanuel Habimana from Gisenyi Hospital, who attended to the victims, said that most of them suffered head injuries and cranial damages with more case expected to be referred to Kigali.“Five people died from the accident and for the injured, the sustained injuries are so fatal that some cases might be referred to Kigali,” he said.At the scene of the accident, eye witnesses told The New Times the speeding Rubavu bound truck lost breaks and rum into the oncoming taxi forcing it to swerve off the road.“I saw two trailing trucks but the over-speeding Fuso failed to negotiate a bend with appropriate breaks as it attempted to overtake the other and smashed the taxi at the other end of the corner,” Jean Claude Niyomugambo an eye witness said.Immediately after the accident, rescue efforts commenced and victims were rushed to Gisenyi hospital but the five were immediately pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.Hussein Kabera, a survivor of the accident said that the truck driver failed to stop after attempting to overtake a heavy truck while the taxi in which he was travelling was coming from the opposite direction.In a phone interview yesterday, Police Spokesperson Theos Badege said that the accident could have been caused by break failure, overspending and overloading.He warned drivers against reckless driving and failure to carryout regular mechanical tests.

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Five perish in Rubavu road accident