A head-on collision in Namibia involving vehicles belonging to the security services killed 14 people, including 11 members of the prison service, a police officer, and two civilians.
The accident took place 270km (167 miles) south of the capital, Windhoek, outside the town of Mariental on Saturday.
No words can truly capture the depth of this loss, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wrote on social media, praising the souls of our fallen officers.
Namibia has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world.
Home Affairs Minister Lucia Iipumbu also passed her condolences and thanked those who attended the scene of the accident and the medical teams at Mariental State Hospital.
She urged the public to refrain from sharing distressing photographs from the scene out of respect for those affected.
In total, 19 people were in the two vehicles involved in the crash. The police van carried six passengers (five officers and a civilian), while the Namibian Correctional Service bus had 13 people on board.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that three other prison officers remained critically injured.
She expressed hopes for their full recovery and wished strength to the victims’ families.
The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund of Namibia has encouraged affected families to reach out for support, and it will assist with both medical care and burials.
This tragic incident highlights the ongoing public health issue of road traffic safety in Namibia, where statistics indicate a significant disparity with fatality rates compared to countries like the UK.
