King of Lesotho killed in car accident

Maseru - King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho, 57, was killed in a car accident, less than two years after regaining the throne of the southern African nation. He had travelled to rural Lesotho to inspect his cattle and was returning to Maseru, the capital, when the accident occurred, the South African ambassador, Gerhard Visser, said. The car left the road, overturned and rolled down an embankment, killing the King and his driver. No other cars were involved. He had been on and off the throne three times in the waves of political unrest that have swept Lesotho since independence from Britain in 1966. He was stripped of all political powers after his last ousting, by military leaders in 1989, and only returned to the symbolic monarchy last year following a coup led by his son and successor, the former King Letsie III. AP

Obituary, page 12