OTJIWARONGO – The nine deceased people in the head-on accident involving two vehicles, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon on the Otavi-Otjiwarongo B1 national road, have been identified by their close relatives.
Namibian Police head of community affairs in the Otjozondjupa region Maureen Mbeha in a media statement on Friday said the deceased are from the Toyota Fortuner and the seven-seater vehicle.
She said the eight people who died in the seven-seater vehicle include Eduardo Vicunga Tyimbsndi (63), who is believed to be a South African national, according to a passport that was found in his possession.
The 38-year-old Sofia Kakehere Likuva is from Rundu.
Festus Ndakolo (29) was the driver of the seven-seater vehicle, and is a member of the Namibian Defence Force.
Reagan Mwalimu Kwala (40) worked for a commercial bank in Rundu.
Nelson Domingo Linyunga (28), Titus Limanga Johannes (41), Anna Rangaman (13) and Hendrick Mazambo Gab, aged two years, also died in the same seven-seater vehicle.
The 55-year-old Natale Ferreira Gontijo de Amorim died in the Toyota Fortuner, and is a Brazilian national, who was in Namibia as a tourist.
The accident occurred approximately 20 kilometres south of Otavi at about 13h30 on Tuesday.
It is alleged the 59-year-old Brazilian male tourist, Luiz Charles Araujo de Sa, who was driving the Toyota Fortuner, was overtaking another vehicle when the head-on collision occurred.
Araujo de Sa from the Fortuner survived the accident.
A three-year-old girl from the seven-seater vehicle also survived the accident, and is in critical condition at a private hospital in Windhoek, where she was transferred to from the Otjiwarongo State Hospital.
Araujo de Sa was arrested on Thursday, and appeared in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court on a culpable homicide charge, including counts of inconsiderate driving as well as reckless and negligent driving.
-Nampa