8 children among 10 killed in Tanzanian school bus accident

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – Ten people, including eight children, were killed and 18 injured in a road accident in southern Tanzania after a school van swerved and plunged into a ditch on Tuesday, authorities confirmed.

Nicodemus Katembo, acting regional police commander for the Mtwara region, confirmed the incident, saying it involved a school bus whose driver and a woman were among the fatalities.

Hamad Nyembea, chief medical officer of the Mtwara referral hospital, told Anadolu Agency that they have received 10 bodies, including two adults – a man and a woman – and five girls and three boys.

According to him, 18 children who sustained injuries are being treated, with three of them in critical condition.

“The police are investigating the cause of this accident … we will provide more information after the investigations are complete,” Katembo told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

Students from King David Primary School in the Mtwara municipality are among the dead and injured, he said.

Eyewitnesses provided conflicting accounts, with some claiming that the driver tried to avoid colliding with a motorcycle.

Injured children stuck in the van were screaming for help when Samaritans pulled them from the wreckage, according to witnesses.

"I helped to evacuate the children, some of whom were injured and crying, and others who weren’t breathing," said Hemed Kijo, a Mtwara resident.​​​​​​​