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At least 42 killed in Tanzania head-on bus crash

Xinhua, March 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 42 people were killed and 23 others seriously injured after an overloaded bus collided head-on with a lorry in Tanzania's southern highland region of Iringa, local officials say.

Iringa regional commissioner Amina Masenza, who arrived at the scene of the accident in Mufindi district, said the bus which carried most of the victims, was damaged beyond recognition.

"This is the worst ever road accident that have occurred in this region," Masenza said, adding the injured have been sent to local hospitals.

Ramadhani Mungi, Iringa regional police commander, said the number of casualties could rise as most of the injured were in serious condition.

He added both drivers were killed on the spot while rescuers found a one-year-old baby without a single bruise under the debris of the bus.

The two vehicles collided after their drivers tried to avoid potholes, Mungi said, adding a preliminary investigation found both vehicles were over speeding and the bus overloaded.

He said the bus heading for Dar es Salaam had a capacity to ferry up to 55 passengers but it had 60 passengers.

Road accidents are a huge problem in Tanzania. Official figures show in 2014 there were 14,048 such accidents that caused 3,534 deaths and 16,166 injuries in the country. Endi