HARARE – Three workers were killed on Wednesday when a three-tonne pallet of glass panels collapsed on them while they were offloading a consignment from a truck at a company in Harare’s Workington industrial area, police said.
Eight workers were on the truck at the time. Of the five who survived, one was injured and taken to hospital.
National police spokesman Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the incident occurred at around midday at a company along Coventry Road.
“Three people died on the spot after being struck by a pallet of glass panels which they were offloading from a truck,” Nyathi said.
Crane operator Question Muringwa said he believed a lapse in communication was to blame.
“I was operating the crane, and I think there was a miscommunication. A safety belt was not secured where it should have been. By the time I heard the screams and tried to lift the crate, it was already too late,” he said.
Survivor Tanaka Chagonda described the moment the accident happened.
“We were offloading glass panels from the truck when one of the crates slipped and crushed three of our colleagues. It was scary,” he said.
Aleck Muzozo said he narrowly escaped the same fate.
“I was working exactly where the three men died, but I managed to duck and the crate only grazed my face. I thank God I survived, but I am not okay — one of the deceased is my brother,” he said.
Phineas Hlanganisa, another survivor, told ZBC the scene was chaotic and traumatic.
“One moment we were working, and the next we heard screams. It was a terrible scene. The crate fell on them, and they died in a very painful way. This is our job, but it should not end like this,” he said.
The City of Harare Fire Brigade attended the scene and assisted police in recovering the bodies.
The post 3 workers crushed to death as glass pallet collapses during offloading in Harare appeared first on Zimbabwe News Now.