By SYLVIA MWEETWA –
THREE people suspected to be from one family, among them a six-month-old baby, have died in a road traffic accident in Chitambo District on the Great North Road.
Seven others are nursing serious injuries after the vehicle they were travelling in developed a tyre burst.
The accident, which happened around 13:00 hours on Monday, occurred when a Toyota Regius which was enroute to Lusaka had a tyre burst.
The vehicle overturned several times, leaving two people dead while another passenger died on arrival at Chitambo Mission Hospital.
Central Province Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale, who confirmed the accident, said the deceased included two female adults and the baby.
The bodies have not yet been identified.
Ms Mutale said the injured included the driver, five boys and a 33-year-old woman who had since been airlifted to Lusaka by the Zambia Flying Doctor Service for specialist treatment. Her condition was described as critical.
Ms Mutale said it was sad that in less than two weeks, the Great North Road had claimed a number of lives involving families.
She cited seven members of one family who recently died in Kapiri Mposhi and four others from the another family who days later lost their lives in an accident in Chisamba.
She advised motorists to exercise patience and to observe traffic rules to avoid accidents.
