By Thokozani Mazibuko
Truck rams into shop, kills 4
- 7 more people including a truck driver fighting for their lives at Hlathikhulu Hospital
- The killed woman died together with her child on her back while inside the shop
The community of Esakeni, Hlathikhulu in the Shiselweni Region were left grief-stricken when a truck lost control and rammed into a grocery shop.
Deputy Police Information and Communication Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Nosipho Mnguni confirmed to Eswatini Daily News (EDN) that a woman together with three children died during the accident.
“A driver of a truck lost control and rammed into a shop at Esakeni and a woman carrying her child together with two children were recorded as fatalities.
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7 people including the truck driver are fighting for their lives at Hlathikhulu Hospital as we speak,” Mnguni confirmed to EDN.
Also, impeccable sources around the community have disclosed to EDN that a driver lost control of a truck he was driving, and it rammed into a shop that had people inside around Hlathikhulu (Esakeni).
The names of the deceased will be released after the next of kin have been informed appropriately. An eyewitness told EDN that everything happened so fast that there was no way the people inside the shop could have escaped.
“It took police and officers from the Eswatini National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES) hours to retrieve the bodies of the victims as they were closed by fallen walls of the grocery shop,” the source said.
It is worth noting that according to the World Health Organisation, road fatalities accounted for 2.86% of total deaths in Eswatini.
This means that for every 100,000 people, about 27 die due to road traffic accidents, which ranks Eswatini amongst the top 50 countries with the highest number of fatal road accidents in the world.
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Pedestrians account for more than 60% of road traffic accidents.
The Prime Minister committed to ensuring that all roads are constructed to cater for non-motorized transport.
Non-motorized transport is transport which has no mechanical engine that propels it.
