BY NIZBERT MOYO
A BULAWAYO-BOUND South African-registered haulage truck overturned near Esigodini business centre along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road on Monday and spilled tonnes of hydrogen peroxide gas.
Fog fumes caused by the spillage resulted in another accident involving a Toyota Hilux truck that crashed into the overturned haulage truck due to poor visibility.
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) acting chief fire officer Jabulani Ndlovu confirmed the accident yesterday.
Ndlovu said plastic tanks filled with the hydrogen peroxide were damaged, resulting in the release of dangerous fumes that pose a danger to the environment.
“On December 27 a Red cargo haulage truck coming from South Africa destined for Bulawayo overturned near Esigodini business centre and blocked one traffic lane after it landed on some of the tanks it was carrying, while others were thrown on the roadside,’’ Ndlovu said.
The containers later caught fire.
“The driver of the haulage truck was rushed to Esigodini Hospital to seek medical attention.”
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The cause of the accident had not been established yet.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) spokesperson Amkela Sidange said the agency activated its systems to prevent the contamination of the environment around the affected area.
“A clean-up has been conducted and we are investigating the case to find out if the transportation of the chemical was done within a specific time,” Sidange said.
“We have witnessed several accidents involving spillages during this festive season and we suspect that transporters were taking advantage of the festive season to transport their chemicals disregarding the specific times.”
Accidents along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road are often blamed on the poor state of the road which links Bulawayo with South Africa and Zambia.
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