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The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) has suspended traffic police officers who were on duty at checkpoints along National Road Number One (EN1), between the Save River and the Inharrime weighbridge in Inhambane province.
The decision follows the road accident in Zavala district that killed 24 people travelling in a semi-collective passenger vehicle.
According to the PRM, the vehicle was authorised to carry 15 passengers but was transporting 24 people, without the overcrowding being detected at the various checkpoints it passed through.
PRM spokesperson in Inhambane, Nércia Bata, confirmed that an inquiry team has been established to investigate the circumstances and determine any possible responsibility of the officers involved in monitoring the route.
“At this moment, an inquiry team has been established and, while the investigation is underway, all officers who were at the checkpoints have been suspended because they failed to prevent or inspect the vehicle and detect that it was overcrowded,” Bata said.
The suspension covers officers who were on duty at several checkpoints, including the Save checkpoint in Govuro, the Mangungumete junction in Inhassoro, Mapinhane in Vilankulo, Nhanchengo in Massinga, Lindela in Jangamo and the Inharrime weighbridge.
The passenger vehicle had departed from Muxúnguè, in Sofala province, and was travelling to South Africa when it collided head-on with a truck belonging to the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces in Zavala.
All 24 people travelling in the passenger vehicle were killed, while the two occupants of the military truck survived and received medical treatment.
Preliminary information from the PRM points to excessive speed and mechanical defects among the possible causes of the accident. Authorities also said mechanical problems were detected in the military truck.
Following confirmation that the passenger vehicle was overcrowded, the investigation has been expanded to examine the conduct of officers responsible for road inspections along the EN1.
The suspension is temporary and does not, by itself, establish individual responsibility. The inquiry is expected to determine how the vehicle managed to pass through several checkpoints without the irregularity being detected.
The Government is also working on transporting the bodies, particularly to Chibabava district in Sofala, where most of the victims came from.
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