In a devastating development, two Chitungwiza families suffered a horrible tragedy when their children died after a neighbour’s water stand collapsed and fell on them. A third child was injured and hospitalized when the stand collapsed under the weight of the 5000-litre tank.
iHarare has learned that the sad incident occured at number 1495 in Unit A, Seke, on Wednesday.
The Chronicle reports that 9-year-old Trinity Saungweme and 18-month-old Colleen Kamonere died as a result of the collapse. Trinity’s brother, 7-year-old Thulani suffered a fractured leg after the force of the water threw him some paces from where he was playing.
Thulani was briefly hospitalised at Chitungwiza Central Hospital but has since been discharged after the doctors put a cast on his leg. He is now recovering at home.
At the time of the horrible incident, Trinity’s father Mr Challenge Saungweme (31) was actually in the company of his friend Mr Gumisai Kamonere, Colleen’s father, at a nearby car park.
Narrating the horrible events, Saungweme said,
“It was around 4.30 pm or thereabouts when I saw a rather distraught woman running in my direction signalling me to attend to what had happened back home. My hunch told me that something had gone seriously wrong because the woman’s clothes were bloodied.
“When I got to our street, which is only about 300 metres from the car park where my friends and I were whiling away time, my worst fears were confirmed. Hordes of people were milling around in a clear sign of things gone wrong and there was a bloodied pool of water running down the street,”
The two learned that the children had already been taken to Chitungwiza Central Hospital. At the hospital, they learned the tragic news of the death of their children. Collen was Kamonere’s only child.
Taipa Ganda (31), the neighbour whose tank collapsed on the children was devastated by the incident and said that he only installed the tank last month. He is helping the two grief-stricken families with the expenses. He is reported to have footed Thulani’s hospital bills, provided money for Colleen’s coffin, and met other funeral expenses so far incurred by the two families.-iharare
