The sisters, aged 61 and 40, were airlifted to Lusaka after the road accident left them with serious injuries.

The evacuation, which took place on Friday, 30th January 2025, was the culmination of a marathon day for the ZFDS crew that saw them traverse the country to bridge the gap between Southern and Eastern province.

The sisters had been receiving treatment at Chipata Central Hospital following the accident crash on 26th January,2026.

However, Senior Medical Superintendent Dr. Mbinga Mbinga determined that their injuries which required intervention beyond the hospital's capacity.

"Both patients required immediate surgical intervention to prevent complications," Dr. Mbinga stated in an urgent request to the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi, immediately authorized the ZFDS to carry out the evacuation to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka.

The ZFDS plane, registration 9J AGC, piloted by Director of Aviation Services Lasford Manchisi and co-pilot Siphosami Zulu, dashed to Chipata to pick up the patients.

On board, paramedics Suzan Banda and Sampa Chibwe provided care to the two sisters throughout the flight.

Upon landing at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport ZAF base, the sisters were met by two separate ambulances from UTH and the National Heart Hospital due to the complexity of their injuries.

Both sisters are now undergoing further treatment at UTH. The rescue followed a serious accident on Airport Road in Chipata.

According to Eastern Province Police, a Toyota Hiace Quantum failed to keep to its lane and collided head-on with the sisters' vehicle near a local parish.

The flight was the second major operation of the day for the ZFDS team, following a morning mission repatriating two patients beneficiaries of Workers compensation to Livingstone.