Zimbabwean Prime Minister's wife 'killed' in a car crash

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been injured and his wife killed in a car crash. Mrs Tsvangirai was travelling around 30 miles to the south of Harare with her husband for a political rally when their car was apparently hit by a truck. They had been on their way to their rural home in Buhera. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader is believed to have escaped with minor injuries. Mr Tsvangirai, who turns 57 on Tuesday, and his wife had been married for 31 years and have six children. Although Mrs Tsvangirai was not actively involved in the MDC, she had supported him and appeared at campaign rallies with her husband. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are deeply saddened to hear news of Susan Tsvangirai's death and we offer our condolences. We are monitoring the situation closely." Mr Tsvangirai was only appointed Prime Minister last month after hammering out a power-sharing deal with bitter rival Robert Mugabe - who has been the country's president since independence from Britain in 1980. The deal was meant to end almost a year of deadly stalemate with Mr Mugabe. The new alliance faces an array of problems - food and fuel shortages, the world's most serious hyperinflation and a cholera outbreak in which nearly 88,000 people have been infected, with nearly 4,000 killed, according to the World Health Organisation. Zimbabweans and Western donors are hoping the new administration can deliver political stability after a power-sharing deal was reached in September after months of tough negotiations. Tensions have been rising in the new government over the arrest of MDC official Roy Bennett.

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ITN | March 6, 2009

Tags:. .tensions. .roy. .situation. .negotiations. .independence