At least 3 killed in bus-truck collision in southern Zambia

LUSAKA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed in a road accident in southern Zambia's Monze District when a bus and a truck collided head-on, police said on Saturday.

Rae Hamoonga, spokesperson for the Zambia Police Service, said in a statement that the accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday when the bus, traveling from north to south on a major highway, collided with an oncoming truck.

He said two people from the truck and one from the bus sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot.

The police spokesperson also said the driver of the truck and eight passengers from the bus were seriously injured, while eight other passengers from the bus sustained minor injuries.

"Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver of the bus was improperly overtaking an unidentified vehicle when he collided head-on with the oncoming truck," he said, adding that the bus was extensively damaged.

Road accidents involving public buses are common in Zambia, mainly due to careless driving. ■