BALAKA, Malawi, June 10 (Xinhua) -- An updated police report on the fatal road accident involving a bus in Malawi that occurred Saturday afternoon indicates that nine female and one male passengers died on the spot.
The bus was en route to Malawi's commercial city, Blantyre, from Lilongwe and the accident occurred about 230 km south of Lilongwe near a bridge across Rivirivi River, one of the largest rivers in the southern region.
According to the latest police report, the bus' front tyres burst while the bus was in speed and it veered off, turned several times before it rested on its side, killing the 10 passengers in the process, injuring five severely while 45 escaped with minor injuries.
All the five severely injured are female passengers, according to the police report.
Eye witnesses told the local media that half of the bus rested on the side bars of the bridge while another half rested on the river bank.
"It's one of the worst accidents the nation has ever witnessed," said an eye witness. "Some of the victims had their heads cut off in the process while others had their bodies broken in parts."
Meanwhile, a picture of a 9-year-old girl who survived the accident with injuries and is admitted to the nearest Balaka District Hospital, is being circulated on social media for identification.
According to the message attached to the picture of the girl, she was travelling with her mother and an elder sister who both died in the accident.
This is a second worst fatal accident in Malawi in about two months after a boat capsized on Lake Malawi at a place called Mlowe where over 10 church members died and over 50 survived, either by swimming to the shore or rescued.
