Six people are feared dead after a Honda Fit lost control and plunged into an abandoned chrome pit in the Gakaka area of Shurugwi South last night.
The vehicle, which was traveling from Shurugwi to Zvishavane, veered off the road and fell into the pit, which was filled with water.
Rome Shangwa, the Shurugwi District Development Coordinator, confirmed the incident to The Mirror.
“Search operations are currently underway, with sub-aqua teams on site. Six people are feared dead after the vehicle fell into a disused mining pit near the road. We are still working to understand the full details of the incident,” Shangwa said.
Abandoned mining pits have been a longstanding safety concern for local residents, who have repeatedly urged the government to close them. In January, a female prison inmate from Shurugwi tragically lost her two young children after they drowned while swimming in one of these pits.
Emmanuel Mahoko, the Midlands police spokesperson, stated that they have not yet received an official report on the incident.
“We are still gathering information and have not yet received an official report from the responsible police station,” Mahoko said.
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