22 die, scores injured in Tanzania bus, truck crash

At least 22 people died after a bus crashed into a lorry in eastern Tanzania on Friday, the presidency said.

The accident also injured 38 people, the presidency said in a statement.

A police chief in the eastern region of Morogoro, Fortunatus Muslim, said the accident occurred in Melela Kibaoni, some 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the coastal city and economic hub Dar es Salaam.

He said the lorry left its lane to overtake a motorbike.

“The truck driver, who was heading from the Dar es Salaam port to the Democratic Republic of Congo, was overtaking a motorbike when the two vehicles collided head-on,” he said.

The bus was travelling in the other direction from the western city of Mbeya to the coastal city of Tanga, he added.

President Samia Suluhu presented her condolences on Twitter, and urged “road users to adhere to traffic rules”.