Road accidents claim five lives over Easter weekend
Five people lost their lives on Namibian roads over the Easter weekend and more than 24 were injured in road accidents, according to the Namibian Police.
Two people died on Thursday in a truck accident on the B1 highway between Otjiwarongo and Otavi, raising concerns over a sodium cyanide spill.
Three trucks from Coleman Transport were reportedly driving in a convoy towards the B2Gold mine when a truck allegedly veered into their lane from the opposite direction. The first truck reportedly avoided a collision by swerving to the left side of the road, but the oncoming truck struck its side mirror and rear right wheel before crashing head-on into the second truck.
The two deceased were the driver and passenger in the oncoming truck. The driver of the second truck sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital for medical treatment. The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed, and their next of kin have not been notified.
According to a report by the environment ministry, one of the trucks belonging to Coleman Transport was transporting sodium cyanide bags from the Walvis Bay harbour to the B2Gold mine.
Only a small amount of a 26-tonne shipment of sodium cyanide was spilled after the collision approximately 10 km north of Otjiwarongo.
“The Office of the Environmental Commissioner dispatched a team from the ministry’s Otjiwarongo office to conduct a site inspection. Only one bag was slightly damaged, releasing approximately 0.05% of the total load,” the ministry said in a statement.
The company responsible for the spill was required to contract a clean-up firm, and a response team cleared the site. Officials from the ministry were present to monitor the clean-up.
Clean-up operations began around 14:00 on Thursday, and the road was reopened later that evening.
Weekend accidents
Another road fatality involved a 79-year-old man who died at the scene on a gravel road about six kilometres from Grootfontein in the direction of Otjituuo. The 42-year-old driver of a white sedan allegedly lost control of the vehicle after the right rear tyre burst, causing it to overturn. There were seven people in the sedan, all of whom sustained minor injuries. The driver was arrested and is currently under police guard at the state hospital in Grootfontein.
A case of culpable homicide was opened after a passenger in a white pickup died on the D3660 road from Omagongati towards Ongwediva. The driver sustained serious injuries, and two other passengers suffered minor injuries.
Two pedestrians were reportedly hit at the Nanyati settlement when a man drove from Katima Mulilo in the direction of Malegalenga. One pedestrian, a Namibian woman, died, while the other, a Zambian man, was injured.
Survivors of crashes
Ten people sustained various degrees of injuries in an accident two kilometres from Grootfontein in the direction of Tsumeb when the driver of a pickup allegedly attempted to overtake a sedan and collided with it.
Moreover, one passenger in the pickup sustained a serious head injury when a luxury sedan reportedly crashed into the back of the pickup at high speed near Okahandja.
A 33-year-old motorcyclist was also injured after reportedly colliding with a truck on the Ondangwa–Ongwediva road.
On Thursday, the driver of a minibus carrying 21 passengers reportedly lost control of the vehicle about 50 km from Okahandja on the way to Otjiwarongo while attempting to overtake a truck. Passengers on board sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Okahandja State Hospital.
In addition, a 34-year-old man driving a sedan was arrested in Mariental on Friday night for alleged drunk driving after he reportedly blew 0.93 mg/l on a breathalyser test.
Two people died on Thursday in a truck accident on the B1 highway between Otjiwarongo and Otavi, raising concerns over a sodium cyanide spill.
Three trucks from Coleman Transport were reportedly driving in a convoy towards the B2Gold mine when a truck allegedly veered into their lane from the opposite direction. The first truck reportedly avoided a collision by swerving to the left side of the road, but the oncoming truck struck its side mirror and rear right wheel before crashing head-on into the second truck.
The two deceased were the driver and passenger in the oncoming truck. The driver of the second truck sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital for medical treatment. The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed, and their next of kin have not been notified.
According to a report by the environment ministry, one of the trucks belonging to Coleman Transport was transporting sodium cyanide bags from the Walvis Bay harbour to the B2Gold mine.
Only a small amount of a 26-tonne shipment of sodium cyanide was spilled after the collision approximately 10 km north of Otjiwarongo.
“The Office of the Environmental Commissioner dispatched a team from the ministry’s Otjiwarongo office to conduct a site inspection. Only one bag was slightly damaged, releasing approximately 0.05% of the total load,” the ministry said in a statement.
The company responsible for the spill was required to contract a clean-up firm, and a response team cleared the site. Officials from the ministry were present to monitor the clean-up.
Clean-up operations began around 14:00 on Thursday, and the road was reopened later that evening.
Weekend accidents
Another road fatality involved a 79-year-old man who died at the scene on a gravel road about six kilometres from Grootfontein in the direction of Otjituuo. The 42-year-old driver of a white sedan allegedly lost control of the vehicle after the right rear tyre burst, causing it to overturn. There were seven people in the sedan, all of whom sustained minor injuries. The driver was arrested and is currently under police guard at the state hospital in Grootfontein.
A case of culpable homicide was opened after a passenger in a white pickup died on the D3660 road from Omagongati towards Ongwediva. The driver sustained serious injuries, and two other passengers suffered minor injuries.
Two pedestrians were reportedly hit at the Nanyati settlement when a man drove from Katima Mulilo in the direction of Malegalenga. One pedestrian, a Namibian woman, died, while the other, a Zambian man, was injured.
Survivors of crashes
Ten people sustained various degrees of injuries in an accident two kilometres from Grootfontein in the direction of Tsumeb when the driver of a pickup allegedly attempted to overtake a sedan and collided with it.
Moreover, one passenger in the pickup sustained a serious head injury when a luxury sedan reportedly crashed into the back of the pickup at high speed near Okahandja.
A 33-year-old motorcyclist was also injured after reportedly colliding with a truck on the Ondangwa–Ongwediva road.
On Thursday, the driver of a minibus carrying 21 passengers reportedly lost control of the vehicle about 50 km from Okahandja on the way to Otjiwarongo while attempting to overtake a truck. Passengers on board sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Okahandja State Hospital.
In addition, a 34-year-old man driving a sedan was arrested in Mariental on Friday night for alleged drunk driving after he reportedly blew 0.93 mg/l on a breathalyser test.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article