The death toll from a road traffic accident that occurred on the M1 road between Senzani and Chitale in Ntcheu District has risen to five, police have confirmed.
Ntcheu Police spokesperson, Inspector Jacob Khembo, said all the deceased were travelling in a single vehicle, a Nissan Tilda registration number BW 2001, which was coming from the Zalewa direction towards Chiingeni.
According to police, the Nissan Tilda collided with a Toyota Hilux bearing registration number IT 7102 at Chitale.
The Toyota Hilux was being driven by 42-year-old Ezekiel Mathabili, a Zimbabwean national.
Inspector Khembo said the driver of the Toyota Hilux and other occupants in that vehicle escaped without injuries following the collision.
He explained that all occupants of the Nissan Tilda sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Balaka District Hospital for medical treatment.
Upon arrival at the hospital, four of the victims were pronounced dead, while a fifth victim later died while receiving treatment, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.
Police have identified two of the deceased as MacFarlane Banda of Chilobwe Township in Blantyre and Nathan, who hailed from Chileka in the same city.
The identities of two men and one woman who also died in the accident are yet to be established.
Meanwhile, police in Ntcheu are appealing to motorists using the M1 road to exercise extreme caution, citing persistent rainfall in the district which has left some sections of the road slippery and dangerous.
