Harare, Nov 8: Forty-seven people were killed in Zimbabwe when two buses collided on a road between the capital Harare and the eastern town of Rusape, police said.
"We confirm 47 people have died in a road traffic accident at the 166-kilometre peg along the Harare-Mutare highway," police spokesman Paul Nyathi said on Wednesday.
On Twitter, the state-run Herald newspaper said pictures from the scene were too graphic to post. It said the morgue at the local public hospital in Rusape had run out of space and sought help from a private funeral parlour to take in some of the corpses.
Traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where roads are riddled with potholes due to years of underfunding and neglect, but the highway where the accident occurred had been recently resurfaced.
In June last year, 43 people were killed in a bus crash in the north of the country, along the highway leading to neighbouring Zambia.
Deputy Transport Minister Fortune Chasi said the government will take steps to curb the road carnage.
"Totally needless loss of lives. This event should be the last before stern measures are taken," he tweeted, promising to rein in public service vehicles and their owners.
#RusapeAccidentUpdate
— The Herald Zimbabwe (@HeraldZimbabwe) November 7, 2018
Police have confirmed the death of 47 people, 45 of which are adults and 2 children. The pictures are too graphic and have been censored
More details to follow@caesarzvayi @Michellehakata @HChikwanha @TafadzwaMugwadi @manoc9 @ChronicleZim
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Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
