18 killed in bus, lorry collision in Tanzania
Xinhua, April 13, 2015 Adjust font size:
At least 18 people were killed in Tanzania's southern highland region of Iringa when a bus caught fire after colliding with a lorry on the Morogoro-Iringa highway on Sunday morning.
Morogoro Regional Police Commander Faustine Shilogile told Xinhua in telephone interview that the accident occurred in Ruaha Mbuyuni, an area which is between Iringa and Morogoro region.
He said the accident involved a bus which was en route to Kilombero district's headquarters of Ifakara town, southern part of Morogoro region and a Fuso lorry which was heading to Iringa.
"The accident happened in remote area with many sharp corners," the regional police chief said.
According to the police, driver of the lorry is among the 18 people who died in the horrific accident, and the number of those who were injured were yet to be established.
Shilogile attributed the cause of fire to the high impact of the head-on collision.
Reports from the scene have it that most people died because of the fire and some of the injured were rushed to the Mikumi Mission Hospital for observation and treatment.
The Sunday accident followed a three-bus accident that killed 12 people three days ago. Endi