NTCHEU, Malawi, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Death toll in Malawi road accident that occurred Friday morning at a market place in Ntcheu district has reached 19, authorities have confirmed.
Minister of Homeland Security, Nicholas Dausi, who has been to the scene of accident and to the hospitals where those injured have been rushed to, told the local media that there are fears that some people could still be trapped under the truck that caused the accident.
It is established that the truck which was coming from Lilongwe direction going down south towards Balaka lost its brakes and plunged into people and stationary commuter minibuses at a crowded roadside market place called Kampepuza.
The minister has described the accident as the worst of its kind and he has since applauded health workers and people who are working relentlessly to save the lives of the accident victims.
"We are coordinating with the Malawi Defense Force to deploy a crane to lift the truck so that we should find out whether we have some people trapped underneath," he added.
According to the minister, over 70 people have sustained various injuries in the accident and some of them who have sustained serious injuries have been rushed to Kamuzu Central Hospital, a referral health facility in the capital, Lilongwe.
