20 killed in road accident in Tanzania

At least 20 people were killed and 45 injured in a road accident in south-western Tanzania's region of Mbeya on Sunday, police said.

Mussa Taibu, Mbeya Regional Police Commander, confirmed the accident, saying it happened at Mbalizi Hill on the outskirts of Mbeya city in the afternoon and involved three commuter buses and a truck, Xinhua reported.

Taibu said that the accident occurred when a truck carrying a container rammed into a commuter mini-bus and killed 20 people on the spot.

After hitting the first mini-bus, the truck got out of the way and hit other two mini-buses before plunging into a river, said Taibu.

The truck was heading to the Tanzania-Zambia border town of Tunduma from the south-western city of Mbeya, according to the police.

He said the injured people have been sent to Mbalizi District Designated Hospital and Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital.

The accident came only three days after another road accident, in which five people died and three injured, happened in Mtwara Region in Tanzania.

Reports have it that reckless driving and poor road infrastructures as among the major factors fueling road accidents in Tanzania.

--IANS

ahm/