Traffic accidents killed 35 people in southern Mozambique on Monday – Watch

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Traffic accidents killed 35 people in southern Mozambique on Monday – Watch

11:30 CAT | 19 Aug 2025

Screen grab: STV

At least 35 people died and 13 were injured in traffic accidents in the provinces of Maputo and Gaza, in southern Mozambique, on Monday, the National Institute of Road Transport (INATRO) has announced.

One of the accidents, which resulted in 23 deaths and four people injured, occurred around 4:45 a.m. in Manhiça district, Maputo province, on National Highway Number 1 (N1), when a passenger bus skidded off the road and subsequently crashed.

“Initial evidence points to excessive speed as the main probable cause of the accident,” Nelson Nunes, chairman of INATRO, told a press conference in Maputo.

Also in Manhiça district, another traffic accident with one fatality was recorded yesterday afternoon, local health authorities announced.

Another accident occurred on the EN1 highway in Chongoene district of Gaza province, also in the south of the country, resulting in 11 deaths and six people injured. The accident occurred after a head-on collision between a semi-public passenger transport vehicle and a truck. Highway authorities attributed the accident to illegal overtaking, excessive speed, and fatigue on the part of the passenger driver.

“Several irregularities were also found at the scene, including the transportation of passengers without an official list, lack of a public transport license, failure to comply with driving times, and violation of the ministerial order regulating the operating hours of heavy vehicles,” stated the chairman of INATRO, calling for compliance with the highway code to prevent fatalities.

On April 15, the Mozambican government approved a Road Safety Action Plan, which provides a series of actions to reduce the number of traffic accidents, including increased inspections, changes to legislation, interventions at critical points, as well as community awareness.

On August 22nd, Inatro will launch “Operation Brake” to control speeding and drunk driving, with the institution’s leadership promising further campaigns to verify drivers’ legality.

In the same statements, the official admitted that the condition of national roads has contributed to the occurrence of accidents, at a time when the government is moving forward with plans and seeking funding to rehabilitate the EN1, the country’s principal highway.

This Monday morning, the Mozambican president urged caution when driving after announcing the deaths of the 11 people who died in the accident in Gaza.

“We would like to take this opportunity […] to send a message to drivers using public roads to drive cautiously and not break traffic rules that end up taking the lives of our population. We would also like to take this opportunity to offer our condolences to the grieving families,” said Daniel Chapo.

At least 409 people died in Mozambique in the first half of this year in traffic accidents, which also resulted in 823 injuries, according to data sent to Lusa by the Mozambican police.

According to the traffic police’s report on the first half of 2025, released by the General Command of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the number of deaths increased by 43 compared to the same period in 2024, when 366 deaths were recorded.

The data released indicated that the country recorded a total of 326 traffic accidents in the first six months of the year, compared to 310 in the same period last year.

Road accident rates in Mozambique are classified as dramatic, with authorities citing speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol as the main causes.

Source: Lusa