Over 40 people have been killed after a bus and a minibus collided in Tanzania. The collision sparked off a fire that engulfed both vehicles in Sabasaba, Kilimanjaro region. One of the bus’s tyres was punctured, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Among the 38 people confirmed dead, two are women while 36 bodies are unidentified due to the extent of burns. The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known. Twenty-eight people were injured, six of them still hospitalized.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the families and wished a “quick recovery” to those injured. She also called for stricter adherence to road safety, as deadly vehicle crashes are frequent on Tanzania’s roads. The government has made repeated calls to curb road accidents, which continue to plague the East African country despite various road safety campaigns.
The World Health Organization 2018 report, revealed an estimated 13,000 to 19,000 people in Tanzania were killed in traffic accidents in 2016, significantly higher than the government’s official toll of 3,256 people.
