Finalistes de Miss Tourism Zimbabwe per accident

TEN of the 19 Miss Tourism Zimbabwe finalists, who were competing for honors at this year’s edition of the pageant scheduled for tomorrow at Montclair Hotel and Casino, Nyanga, were injured following an accident at the 13km peg along the Vumba-Mutare Road in Zimbabwe on Wednesday night.

The contestants were in the resort town of Nyanga for a six-day boot camp ahead of the national finals, which has since been canceled following the accident.

Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the accident which occurred on their way to Eden Lodge in Vumba.

“The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle and it overturned once and landed on its left side, and 10 people were injured and are admitted at Murambi Gardens (Clinic) and their condition is stable,” he said.

A somber atmosphere engulfed the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe (MTZ) boot following the accident in which models Prudence Chibvuri (28), Pauline Marere, Grace Karimupfumbi (22), Monalisa Tafirenyika (22), Rutendo Taruvinga (24), Maurine Gondwe (24), Mitchell Gondwe (24), Mitchell Mupasi (21), Wendy Maturi (23) and Maria Makelve were injured.

MTZ license holder Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda yesterday said they were all in a stable condition.

“The finalists were scheduled to spend the night in Vumba after the day’s activities. It was unfortunate that on the way to Vumba, the bus developed a mechanical fault before it veered off the road.”

She thanked the driver for his “professionalism and heroic efforts” as he controlled the bus well to avoid a horrific crash.

In a statement, MTZ said the models were on their way to Eden Lodge, where they were booked to sleep ahead of their scheduled trip to Chimanimani to visit Cyclone Idai affected areas.