Nine dead after car stalls on flooded bridge in Insiza

Rivers swelled, warnings got ignored, and nine people, a newborn included, paid the ultimate price in a disaster Zimbabwe has sadly memorized.

What happened in Insiza

• Thursday night went sideways in Insiza District when a vehicle tried its luck on a low bridge.
• The flooded Tshangamutophe River in Mulula tore the car away like it weighed nothing.
• Nine people died, one of them a newborn who barely got a start.
• This was not a freak accident; it followed a script everyone already knows.

The bigger national picture

• Days before this crash, the Civil Protection Unit laid out grim stats.
• Since October, floods have killed at least 74 people nationwide.
• Damage to infrastructure sits at US$107,402.
• The rains have been ruthless, but the patterns are familiar.

Where losses hit hardest

• Manicaland leads the toll with 32 deaths.
• Mashonaland West follows at 19, Midlands at 13.
• Mashonaland Central and Matabeleland South recorded three each.
• Mashonaland East lost two people, while Matabeleland North and Bulawayo each lost one.
• Injuries total 55, with Manicaland accounting for most of them.

A rare escape from the water

• Not every story ended in mourning this week.
• Near Maphisa in Matobo District, a flooded Mwewe River nearly claimed an Isuzu single-cab.
• The vehicle missed the bridge around 10:30 am and got dragged into the current.
• The two occupants climbed onto the roof and waited it out.

How that rescue played out

• Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo confirmed the details.
• Fire brigades from Maphisa and Bulawayo worked together.
• Firefighters used throw lines and rescue gear to pull both people to safety.
• It was a rare win in an ugly season.

People are still pushing their luck

• Despite constant warnings, flooded bridges keep turning into social media daredevil stages.
• Motorists and pedestrians are still attempting crossings.
• The CPU says this behavior is deeply worrying.

CPU frustration boils over

• CPU chief director Nathan Nkomo did not hide his concern.
• He said the Insiza deaths might have been avoided.
• Alerts keep going out, yet people keep ignoring them.
• Government help comes after the fact, but prevention keeps getting brushed aside.

Police confirm the details

• The Zimbabwe Republic Police released the official account.
• National spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the crash happened around 10 pm.
• A Toyota Noah tried to cross the flooded Tshangamutophe River in Mulula, Filabusi.
• The driver checked the water, left the keys inside, and stepped away.
• Another passenger took the wheel and drove onto the submerged bridge.

The aftermath on the ground

• The vehicle went under, trapping everyone inside.
• Community members helped recover the bodies the next morning.
• Victims were taken to Filabusi District Hospital mortuary.
• Those lost were five women, two men, a young girl, and a male toddler.
• Only two have been formally identified.

Social media claims muddy the waters

• A circulating voice note blamed a dispute inside the vehicle.
• It claimed the owner, Njabulo, refused to cross.
• Another passenger, named Mthandazo in the recording, allegedly insisted and drove.
• Police say people should wait for verified findings.

The warning nobody wants to hear

• Rivers keep rising, and the lessons keep repeating.
• Floodwater can look calm, familiar, even manageable.
• Every rainy season ends the same way when warnings get ignored.
• No journey is worth a life, no matter how urgent it feels.