At least 28 people have been killed after a passenger bus collided head-on with a timber truck in Morogoro, eastern Tanzania, in a deadly road accident that left the bus completely destroyed by fire.
The crash occurred on Friday, killing 27 people travelling on the bus and the truck driver, according to Morogoro Regional Fire and Rescue Force chief Joseph Mwasabeja.
Mwasabeja said the bus caught fire shortly after the collision and was completely burnt, making rescue efforts difficult. The fire also added to the challenges faced by emergency teams as they worked to respond to the crash and assist possible survivors.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident may have been caused by dangerous overtaking. According to initial findings, the truck was travelling from Iringa towards Dar es Salaam when its driver attempted to overtake other vehicles without taking the necessary precautions.
The move reportedly placed the truck in the path of the oncoming passenger bus, leading to the head-on collision.
The bus was travelling in the opposite direction along the highway, operating on the route between Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, when the two vehicles crashed.
Authorities had yet to establish the total number of people injured in the accident at the time of reporting. Some victims were taken to hospital for treatment, while the whereabouts and condition of other people involved in the crash remained unclear.
Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital public relations officer Scholastica Ndunga said the hospital would release an official statement with details of the casualties and the number of people admitted for treatment.
The statement is expected to provide a clearer picture of the number of people who died, those who survived and the extent of injuries suffered in the crash.
The accident has once again raised concerns about road safety, particularly the dangers of overtaking without ensuring that the road ahead is clear. Such manoeuvres can lead to deadly head-on collisions, especially on busy highways used by passenger buses and heavy trucks.
However, investigators have yet to complete their work, and the precise circumstances that led to the crash remain under investigation.
Authorities are expected to provide further updates as more information becomes available, including the final death toll, the number of injured passengers and the condition of those receiving medical care.
The identities of the victims had not been fully established in the initial reports.
Further details about the crash, including whether any other factors contributed to the collision, are expected to emerge as investigations continue.
