Karatu accident survivors for airlifting to America

EVEN before three survivors of the horrific Karatu road accident are airlifted to the US for specialised treatment, another tragedy has hit Arusha, killing five people of the same family.

Arusha Regional Medical Officer Timothy Wonanji said the three children, still in the Intensive Care Unit, were gradually improving but some need advanced treatment and reconstruction surgeries, hinting that doctors from the United States have offered assistance.

The medics with the Siouxland Tanzania Educational and Medical Ministries (STEMM) have offered to airlift the three Standard Seven pupils at Lucky Vincent school from Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha for referral treatment in America.

The foreign doctors were the first to arrive at the scene of the crash and help in the rescue mission during the accident that occurred at Rhotia Hill last Saturday morning, claiming the lives of 32 pupils, two teachers and a driver.

The medics, accompanied by Singida North Member of Parliament Lazaro Nyalandu, were on their way from Ngorongoro to Arusha when they came across the grisly accident.

The doctors, currently still in Arusha, had decided to take the three victims to the US after their audience with Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan who visited the children at their hospital beds here on Monday.

Ms Samia visited the three children who escaped death when their school bus crashed in Karatu last weekend.

Admitted to Mount Meru Hospital are 13-year old Doreen Mshana from Olasiti area who remains in comatose; 11-year old Sadia Ismail Awadh and a boy, Wilson Geoffrey Tarimo (11), both residents of Kwa-Mrombo.

Formed by John Gerdts and Michael Boose, with the help of Mr Nyalandu, the STEMM offers education, medical and humanitarian assistance to African children.

Meanwhile, five people of the same family died here yesterday following a huge tree that crushed the house in which they were sleeping.

According to Ngoita Area Chairman Sadick Joseph, the incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, when the falling tree bounced on the house that had seven occupants that night. Two of the deceased were students.

The departed, all members of the same family, are Juliet Jonathan, Best Jonathan, Miriam Jonathan, Glory Jonathan and Lazaro Lomnyaki.

Miriam and Glory were both at Enaboisho Secondary and Arusha-based Primary school, respectively. Arusha Regional Police Commander Charles Mkumbo confirmed the deaths, adding that the bodies had already been pulled out of the debris and taken to Mount Meru Hospital mortuary.

A storm that wreaked havoc in many parts of Arusha region last Monday night caused a landslide in the Ng’ilesi section of Kivesi Hill of Sokon-One Ward in Arumeru District and during the incident, a number of trees fell down, one of them crushing the house in which the victims were sleeping.

It took several hours of hard labour yesterday for local villagers to saw the huge trunk of tree to pieces before they could pull the dead bodies from the debris that were glued together with thick sticky mud.

The parents were reportedly away, the father, Mr Jonathan Kalambuya, was on duty as he works as night watchman in Arusha, while his wife, Mrs Kalambuya, had gone to a neighbouring house to assist a close relative who had just delivered a baby.

One of the victims, Mr Lazaro Lomnyaki, had been sent round to the house that night to take care of the premises because the parents were away.

This is how he met his death. The District Executive Director, Dr Wilson Charles Mahera, said that was the first serious landslide to ever occur in the area, adding that three houses were destroyed and the road leading to the location had been washed away by floods.