By Staff Reporter

A HEAD-ON collision claimed 11 lives in Macheke Monday night to end the Easter holiday in another bloody episode.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the horrific incident which also left 16 injured.

The accident, involving a Nissan Caravan and a Honda Fit, occurred before midnight Monday with most of the dead reported to be members of an Apostolic Church group who were returning from an annual passover gathering at Bazel Bridge in Marange, Manicaland.

“As evidenced on April 21, at about 11.30pm, 11 people perished in a fatal head-on collision at the 118km peg along the Harare-Mutare road opposite the Grain Marketing Board depot, Macheke, on the way to Headlands,” Nyathi told the media Monday.

According to police, the Nissan Caravan had 22 passengers on board.

Nyathi said police have established that the Honda Fit, which had four passengers on board, was heading towards Mutare while the Nissan Caravan was travelling in the opposite direction.

On approaching the 118km peg, he said, the driver of the Honda Fit encroached into the lane of the oncoming Nissan Caravan while trying to overtake another vehicle resulting in the crash.

All four occupants in the Honda Fit died on the spot while the Nissan Caravan overturned once and landed on its roof, killing seven people on the spot.

He said 16 people were seriously injured and were taken to Marondera Hospital for treatment.

The Monday accident brings the Independence and Easter holidays road traffic accident countrywide death toll to 30 since Independence Day.