By Surihe Gaomas
WINDHOEK
Four people died on the spot and a fifth one died later in hospital, while six others were seriously injured in an accident involving three vehicles over the long weekend, police said yesterday.
The accident happened near Onyanya in the Oshana Region.
Oshana Deputy Police Commissioner, Regional Commander Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, said the accident occurred at around 14:00 hours on Sunday.
It is reported that after an initial collision of two sedans, one of them, carrying four passengers, veered off and slammed into an oncoming pick-up carrying six passengers.
All four passengers in the sedan died on the spot, while six passengers in the pick up were seriously injured and admitted to Ongwediva Medi Park.
One of the passengers died in hospital yesterday, bringing the total to five.
The deceased were four males aged between 22 and 37 and a female whose age could not be ascertained by yesterday.
In another incident at Otjiwarongo, police spokesperson Sergeant Stefan Nuuyi said the driver of a silver Renault, 38-year-old Ambrosius Kasiringua, died after he “bumped a warthog, lost control of the vehicle and overturned”.
Three passengers in the Renault sustained minor injuries.
Also in the Omaheke Region on Saturday at around 20:50 at Epako, a driver hit two pedestrians, killing one on the spot while the other sustained serious injuries and is reported to be in a stable condition at Gobabis State Hospital.
The deceased has been identified as Wilhelmine Pieters (age unknown).
Meanwhile, as part of its road safety campaign, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund has been assisting the Namibian Traffic Police at two main roadblocks of Brakwater and Luiperdsvallei over the long weekend.
Manager of Corporate Affairs of the MVA Fund, Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, said prior to the long weekend holiday, the MVA Fund education teams teamed up with the National Road Safety Council and Nampol officers in a road safety awareness campaign “Xupifa Eemwenyo.”
“It was mainly awareness creation for the long weekend, where we distributed road safety pamphlets to the travelling public at the main road blocks,” said Martins-Hausiku.
The general public and all road users were asked to ensure road safety and compliance with all the rules of the road.
“Weekends are high risk time of fatalities, and injuries as a result of failure to comply with traffic rules and regulations …are no exception,” reads the latest MVA Press release.
During the mini road safety campaign, road users were urged to remain vigilant, courteous and cautious while driving.
“Speeding, inconsiderate driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, overloading of public transport and many other offences remain our concerns and therefore we warn travellers and other road users to take the necessary precautions to avoid loss of lives,” reads the statement.
Apart from the Namibian Police, Roads Authority and the City of Windhoek Police, MVA Fund and the National Road safety Council had been hard at work over the long weekend at designated roadblock points, namely the Windhoek-Okahandja, Windhoek-Rehoboth and Ongwediva roadblocks.