Page 21 - SoMJ Vol 74 - No 1, 2021

The 1991 Phalombe Disaster 11

rain stopped on Monday and still no news by 6 p.m., Verena decided to phone the
police in Mulanje, just to get some general news - and did we get some news!!!
“Oh, there has been a big accident and many people are dead.” “Dear me, what
accident? A bus?” “Oh yes, a bus too but many people dead.” Now we heard
alarm bells ringing. “Was there a VW Kombi involved?” “Oh, many cars
smashed, many people dead!” Now was the time for the worry-beads to come
into operation – they went on overtime until about 10 the next morning, Tuesday,
when we got a phone call: “Can you come and pick us up in Mulanje?” What’s
wrong with the Kombi?” we asked. Then we heard the terrifying tale. We
collected a couple of very dirty and very smelly men who were glad to be back,
alive, and well.

FOOTNOTE: John Killick was sometimes heard to say: “Every time I go away
with Petzold, he tries to kill me.” Yes, over the years we have certainly had some
adventures together. For example, there were some difficult moments in March
1983 when, as MMC representatives, we were invited by the Tanzanian
Department Tourism to climb Mount Kilimanjaro; also, John very nearly drowned
when our boat capsized during the 1985 Lake Malawi Yachting Marathon. But
John, whose METHS name is “König von Mulanje” was one of Malawi’s and
Mulanje’s greatest survivors.

The Mulanje mountain range