Chibombo bus crash

Chibombo bus crash
Location of Central Province in Zambia
Details
Date	7 February 2013
Location	Central Province
Country	Zambia
Statistics
Deaths	51
Injuries	28

Coordinates: 14°39′29″S 28°04′23″E / 14.658°S 28.073°E / -14.658; 28.073

On 7 February 2013, a bus collided with a semi-truck and a sport utility vehicle on the Great North Road, between the towns of Chibombo and Kabwe in the Central Province of Zambia, resulting in the deaths of 49 of the 73 persons on the bus, 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.

The 74-seat bus, operated by Zambia Postal Services, left Ndola, in the Copperbelt Province at 04:30 CAT, and was heading toward Zambia's capital, Lusaka. The road connecting Lusaka to Tanzania is a two-lane highway known for having heavy traffic. District Commissioner Priscilla Chisha reported that a sport utility vehicle 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.