Nine killed in van accident in Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam, Dec 14 At least nine people died on the spot and three were seriously injured after a van ferrying newspapers hit a tree in Tanzania's southern highlands region of Iringa, the police said.

Allan Bukumbi, the Iringa regional Police Commander, said the accident occurred in Mahenge village in Kilolo district along the Dar es Salaam-Mbeya highway on early Monday morning when the van hit the tree after its driver had failed to negotiate a sharp corner, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The driver of the van ferrying newspapers from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam to Mbeya region was on high speed and failed to control the van at a sharp corner," Bukumbi told a press conference, adding that the accident occurred at 4 a.m. local time.

Bukumbi said four of the deceased were women and five men, adding that the injured victims were admitted to the Iringa regional government hospital.