The latest crash adds to Tanzania’s record of deadly road accidents. In June last year, at least 37 people lost their lives when two buses collided in the country’s northern Kilimanjaro region.
At least 28 people were killed in eastern Tanzania on Friday after a passenger bus burst into flames following a collision with a truck carrying timber, according to officials.
The accident took place at Mkambarani along the Morogoro-Dar es Salaam highway. The bus was travelling from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya when it collided with the truck, which was bound for Dar es Salaam from Iringa, a senior fire and rescue official said.
Joseph Mwasabeja, acting commander of the Morogoro regional fire and rescue force, said the truck driver was attempting to overtake other vehicles when it collided with the passenger bus, the Associated Press reported.
The bus was completely destroyed in the ensuing fire. The number of injured passengers remained unclear, although some people had been taken to a hospital for treatment, the official said.
The latest crash adds to Tanzania’s record of deadly road accidents. In June last year, at least 37 people lost their lives when two buses collided in the country’s northern Kilimanjaro region.
Both vehicles caught fire in the deadly incident. Later, President Samia Suluhu Hassan had called for stricter compliance with road safety regulations.
Road accidents remain a major concern in Africa, which has the highest road fatality rate of any region in the world.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa puts its road death rate at around 26 per 1,00,000 people, against a global average of approximately 18, despite the continent accounting for only about 3 per cent of the world’s vehicles.
(With agency inputs)
