Dar es Salaam, Oct 10:
At least 28 people were killed when a passenger bus collided with a timber truck and caught fire in eastern Tanzania early Friday, according to a fire and rescue official.
The accident occurred at Mkambarani on the Morogoro-Dar es Salaam highway as the bus was travelling from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya. Joseph Mwasabeja, acting commander of the Morogoro regional fire and rescue force, said the truck was heading from Iringa towards Dar es Salaam and attempting to overtake other vehicles when it collided with the bus.
The bus was completely destroyed by fire. The number of injured passengers was not immediately known, although some were taken to hospital. Scholastica Ndunga, a spokeswoman for Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital, said the hospital would later release details of the dead and injured brought there.
The accident comes amid continuing concerns over road safety in Tanzania. In June 2025, at least 37 people were killed when two buses collided in the northern Kilimanjaro region and both vehicles caught fire. President Samia Suluhu Hassan subsequently called for stricter adherence to road safety rules.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the continent has the world’s highest road death rate, at approximately 26 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with the global average of around 18. Africa accounts for only about three per cent of the world’s vehicles.