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Roundup: 30 killed, 40 injured in central Tanzania road accident

Xinhua, July 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 30 people were killed and more than 40 others injured after two 60-seater buses from the same transport company on Monday collided head on in central Tanzania's Singida region, police said.

Thobias Sedoyeka, the Singida regional police commander, said the death toll could rise as most of the injured persons were in serious condition.

"The accident occurred when two 60-seater buses from the same transport company christened 'City Boy' which were moving in opposite directions, collided into each other at Maweni village in Manyoni District in Singida Region," said Sedoyeka.

He described the accident as the worst he had ever seen during his stint as a police officer.

Sedoyeka said a semi-trailer truck was used to carry bodies of the accident victims to hospital mortuaries, highlighting the sheer scale of the death toll.

Police said most of the bodies of accident victims were taken to the Dodoma Regional Hospital to await identification by their relatives.

He said police were investigating to establish the cause of the grisly accident.

President John Magufuli sent condolence messages to bereaved families saying: "I have been deeply shocked by reports of this accident which has claimed the lives of many Tanzanians."

On Saturday, at least nine people drowned after their boat capsized in Ruvuma River in southern Tanzania.

Binilith Mahenge, the Ruvunma regional commissioner, said the boat capsized at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday when it was ferrying people who were returning from a public auction in one village travelling to another village.

He said initial reports indicated that the boat was overloaded before it capsized in the river infested with crocodiles.

On Friday, at least 12 people were killed and several others injured in two separate grisly road accidents in Tanzania's eastern region of Morogoro.

Ulrich Matei, the Morogoro regional police commander, said in one of the accidents four people were burnt beyond recognition after their mini-bus collided head on with a trailer ferrying a container and onions which caught fire and was razed to the ground.

He said six other people were killed after their Bukoba-Dar es Salaam bus collided head on with a lorry which was carrying a container and other goods.

Matei said both accidents occurred at Wami-Dakawa in Kilosa district, adding that several passengers whose exact number was not immediately established were rushed to hospitals. Endit