Man dies in milling plant mishap

A CHIPINGE man died on Saturday at Macdom Sugar Estates in Chisumbanje, Chipinge after being accidentally fed by a combine harvester into a milling plant together with a stack of sugar cane.

Lovemore Mutombeni (38) was suspected to have been taking a nap on the sugar cane when the incident occured.

Mutare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the death of Mutombeni of Chinyamukwakwa Village under Chief Garawa.

“We received a report on the death of Lovemore Mutombeni, who died after being involved in a milling incident in which he is suspected to have been accidentally fed into the milling plant together with harvested sugar cane by a combine harvester, while resting at work,” he said.

“On July 14 at around 2am, Mutombeni was on duty at Macdom Sugar Estates fields in Chipinge. He was employed as a sugar cane harvesting clerk at the Green Fuel company.

“It is alleged that Mutombeni was recording sugar cane loads from the fields to the mill. It is suspected that Mutombeni could have fallen asleep in the sugar cane fields where he was crushed together with the sugar cane batch loaded into one of the trucks and conveyed into the mill.

“Mutombeni was last seen by Warren Musiwapo (31), a combine harvester operator at the company, who later discovered blood stains on a conveyor belt and reported to the supervisor who then alerted the police at Chipinge Police Station.”

Police attended the scene and discovered that his body had been processed together with sugar cane in the mill and human flesh was also recovered from the combine harvester, said Insp Kakohwa.