10 Farm Workers Die While Fighting Veld Fire In Esigodini
Ten (10) people died on Monday and at least five others were treated for smoke inhalation at a farm in Esigodini, Matabeleland South Province while trying to put out a raging veldt fire.
Police officers were dispatched to a farm known as Lot 43 of Essexvale, near Falcon College, after reports of multiple people succumbing to a wildfire.
10 bodies, most of them farm workers, were recovered while five others who took part in fighting the fire survived and were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) regional manager Descent Ndlovu told ZimLive that he was alerted of the tragedy while he was in Gwanda. He said:
I understand from our people on the ground that there’re lives that have been lost and I’m distressed by the situation. What I understand is that there are 10 deaths.
Witnesses said the fire started during strong winds sometime in the morning.
The farm’s owner Abel Moyo then asked his farm workers and others from surrounding farms to put out the fire.
A villager who claimed he knew all the dead by name said:
One by one, they began getting disoriented from smoke inhalation and they died. It’s such a sad situation, they were only trying to help.
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) on Sunday warned members of the public of the dangers of veld fires. It said in a bulletin:
Strong winds increase the occurrence of veldt fires. Put out any fires found in open veld and road-sides. Do not leave any fire unattended.