Manyara Region Police Commander Akili Mpwapwa

Six people perished in a road accident yesterday morning as the lorry they were travelling in overturned at Sigino Hill Babati District, Manyara region,

Eye witness told this paper by phone that the lorry which was also carrying timber was plying from Iringa.

“As it moved down the hill it was clear that the driver lost control because the lorry was swinging leading to other vehicles which were heading to Singida to temporarily stop, fearing head on collision,” a Dareda resident Deo Kisima said.

According to him before it overturned near a bridge some of the carried timber dropped injuring unidentified four pedestrians.

Manyara Region Police Commander Akili Mpwapwa confirmed to have been informed of the accident, saying its cause was break failure.

“I am informed there is an accident that occurred in the morning that involved a Scania whose driver lost control as the hill is very steep.

Mpwapwa said the deceased include the driver and the lorry owner, adding that the bodies have been kept at Babati District Hospital.

The driver was identified as Paulo Charles (38), a resident of Mafinga in Iringa while the vehicle’s owner is Josephat Mkalama, a resident of Oysterbay, Babati.

The accident comes just a week after six people were killed in another accident involving a Toyota-Noah which overturned, its victims being mourners travelling from Hala village in Babati District.

Meanwhile, the number of people who died in the road accident that involved Rombo legislator, Joseph Selasini (50), has risen to four. Digna Kavishe, the MP’s wife is still in a critical condition.

However, two female bodies were yet to be identified, but are believed to be a child and mother.

There is conflicting information as to whether they were members of Selasini family or were just offered a ride as the legislator drove to Rombo from Arusha where he had attended the burial of his relative.

A police statement to the media said a sister of Selasini’s mother in law, Agatha Jorome (85), died on Thursday night in the Intensive Care Unit.

Kilimanjaro Region Police Commander, Absalom Mwakyoma, said the accident occurred on Thursday at around 19 hours on the Moshi-Arusha highway near Bomang’ombe technical college in Hai District when a Land Cruiser Station Wagon No T.441 BRT overturned.

Commander Mwakyoma said MP Selasini and his wife and other close relatives were on the way back from Arusha where Reverend Father Flordi Mahoo, was buried.

Others who died in the road crash include Selasini’s mother, Catherin

Romani(80, and unidentified women, one estimated to be aged 70-85 years old and another between 30 and 40 years old. Mwakyoma gave the details of the injured persons saying that the MP’s wife Digna Kavishe sustained severe head injuries and Selasini who suffered a dislocated right shoulder. The duo is undergoing medical treatment at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC).

RPC Mwakyoma said police have observed that the cause of the accident was a tyre burst that led to the vehicle going off road following interception by a motorcycle. He also noted that the vehicle was speeding.

Selasini told this paper at KCMC that it was high time the government carried out a through inspection on imported vehicle spare parts, claiming that he had fitted brand new tyres.

He also called for regular education to motorcycle and bicycle riders.

During the 2010 election campaigns Selasini was involved in a road accident suffered a broken right hand.

From Morogoro our reporter writes that a road accident has claimed the life of a person estimated to be between 35 and 40 years.

The accident occurred on Wednesday at Maseyu area on the Morogoro-Dar es Salaam highway.

Morogoro Region Police Commander Adolphina Chialo said the accident occurred at around 1900 hours.

She mentioned the vehicle involved as a Toyota land cruiser T 856 AWL, belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT). Chialo named the driver as Ernest Simba (53) a resident of Kihonda, Morogoro.

She said a person died at the scene of accident noting that the cause was over speeding. She said the driver was still under police custody for interrogation.