The Sunday Mail
Vusumuzi Dube
Bulawayo Bureau
THE identification of those burnt to death when a Brooklyn bus caught fire last week will take about two weeks, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo has said.
At United Bulawayo Hospitals yesterday, where Government officials are working with the National University of Science and Technology’s Applied Genetic Testing Centre, Minister Moyo said the death toll was 33 and not 42 as previously reported.
He said 32 people died on the spot while another passed away upon admission at UBH.
Around 11pm on Thursday, the bus caught fire at the 181km peg along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road. It is suspected that a gas cylinder on the bus exploded, leading to the fire.
The bus was going to Musina, South Africa from Zvishavane.
Minister Moyo yesterday said, “My civil protection committees, due to the nature and complexity of the disaster, are seized with the matter to ensure that the DNA tests are expeditiously done and concluded, since His Excellency President Mnangagwa has declared the bus accident a state of disaster.
“I am informed that the DNA tests being currently carried out by pathologists would result in the correct bodies positively identified by the relatives, notwithstanding that it will take at least two weeks before the actual burials are done.
“I kindly urge the relatives of the deceased to be mindful of this necessity process which will ultimately delay burial but with positive results.”
He appealed to people not to spread falsehoods about the disaster, pointing out it was sensitive matter for affected families and the nation at large.
UBH pathologist Dr Tsungai Jabangwe said they had started the identification process.
“We have assembled a team which includes pathologists, police officers, mortuary technicians and nurses to start the process of identifying the deceased.
“This is a two-pronged process. Firstly we have to document the evidence which may be used for later processes, this includes describing the bodies and taking photographs.
“The second part, which is the most crucial and has started today (yesterday), is the process of actual identification. These bodies were burnt beyond recognition so it’s a process where we collect tissue samples from the deceased which we hand over to Nust Genetics Unit who will complete the process.
“Today (yesterday) we also collected reference samples from the relatives which we also handed over to NUST,” said Dr Jabangwe.
The MD of Brooklyn Express Mr Nqobile Ndlovu yesterday extended his condolences to the bereaved.
“As a law abiding business, we will wait for the official report regarding the accident from the investigating team and are co-operating with the relevant authorities.
“We have also communicated with our insurers and are working on assisting the victims while conscious of the fact that lives cannot be replaced. In our operations, this accident will serve as a startling reminder to continue to abide and exercise our commitment to high safety standards while trying our best to decrease the scourge of people smuggling gas canisters onto the bus,” added Mr Ndlovu.
