HARARE – Several people were feared dead after a seven-vehicle road accident on the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway near Chivi tollgate on Monday.

Witnesses said two haulage trucks collided head-on, setting off a massive ball of fire.

Five smaller vehicles which were closely following the two trucks were also damaged in the pile-up.

A man filming at the scene in a widely-circulated video said: “There are four Toyota Wish vehicles, a Toyota Fun Cargo and two trucks which rammed into each other. They all caught fire and people were trapped and died inside those cars.”

Witnesses said emergency services were late responding and the injured were taken to hospital by volunteering motorists.

The Masvingo-Beitbridge  highway was closed for several hours with motorists forced to take a detour.

Police said they would issue a statement on Tuesday after a full assessment of the crash scene.