Namibia is mourning two officers who lost their lives after a devastating collision between a police van and a prison bus.
The officers died in hospital on Sunday, August 31, 2025.
The crash, which unfolded outside Mariental, about 269 kilometres south of Windhoek, has now claimed sixteen lives in total.
Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security Minister Lucia Iipumbu confirmed a police officer and a correctional officer succumbed to their injuries.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday when a prison service bus collided head-on with a police vehicle, leaving wreckage strewn across the highway.
Nineteen people were travelling in both vehicles, with the police van carrying five officers and one civilian, while thirteen officers filled the bus.
Fourteen victims were pronounced dead at the scene, underscoring the force of the impact and the scale of the disaster.
Iipumbu urged citizens to respect victims’ dignity, calling on the public not to circulate disturbing images and videos from the crash site.
“The ministry appeals to members of the public to refrain from sharing distressing and sensitive material out of respect for the families,” she said.
Namibia’s state-backed vehicle insurance scheme will cover burial expenses and medical costs for the three survivors still undergoing treatment.
The country now mourns lives lost to a tragedy that transformed a routine journey into a moment of national sorrow and collective grief.
Source:Africa Publicity
