ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five people have died after a minibus they were aboard had a head-on collision with a lorry and caught fire in northwestern Tanzania's district of Muleba, police said on Friday.
Augustino Olomi, Kagera Regional Police Commander, confirmed the accident saying it happened on Friday morning.
The mini-bus was heading to Chato District in Geita Region from Muleba District in Kagera Region.
According to Olomi, earlier reports showed that the driver of the minibus was over speeding.
Richard Ruyango, Muleba District Commissioner also revealed that among the dead are the driver of the minibus, the conductor and three passengers.
The door of the minibus was squeezed by a lorry making it difficult for people inside to escape, he said.
The regional police chief cautioned drivers in the area to be extra-careful when driving as the road had a sharp corner and steep slopes.
Road motor accidents, mostly caused by reckless driving, have been taking lives of thousands of people in the east African nation.
Recently, twelve people died and three others injured when a mini-bus they were travelling in veered off and plunged into the Lake Victoria at Kigogo ferry in Misungwi District, Mwanza Region.
