Investigators comb Chivayo helicopter crash site as Transport minister joins on-scene response
_Fuel spill sparked fire after Chivayo helicopter impact as investigators begin probe_
HARARE — Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona says he remains “still in shock” after visiting the scene of a fatal helicopter crash in Marondera that claimed the lives of prominent businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke, and four other passengers.
Speaking from the crash site where emergency response teams and air accident investigators have cordoned off the area, Mhona expressed deep grief over the tragedy as multi-agency inquiries into the cause of the disaster got underway.
The Minister’s visit comes as forensic experts face a complex process to formally identify the remains of the six victims. Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo noted that the severity of the crash impact has significantly complicated the identification process, leaving relatives awaiting official DNA and forensic verification.
Preliminary findings released by Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) Director General Mr. George Mashababe indicate that fuel spilled immediately upon impact, triggering a fierce post-crash fire that burnt surrounding grassland at the site.
An initial examination of the wreckage by aviation experts at the scene revealed that the helicopter’s engines and main rotor blades were actively drawing power and spinning at the time of impact.
Investigators from the CAAZ and the Zimbabwe Republic Police remain on site in Marondera to reconstruct the flight path and determine the factors that led to the fatal crash.
