A deadly road accident in southwestern Tanzania has left at least 28 people dead, after a lorry lost control on a steep hill and crashed into two other vehicles, including a minibus that plunged into a river.
The crash occurred late Saturday near Iwambi, in the Mbeya region, close to the Zambian border. According to regional police chief Benjamin Kuzaga, the tragedy was triggered by brake failure on a steep descent.
Among the victims were 10 women and four children, with authorities blaming driver negligence for the fatal incident. “The cause of the accident has been attributed to the negligence of the lorry driver, who failed to control the vehicle on the steep Iwambi hill,” Kuzaga said in a statement on Sunday.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences via X (formerly Twitter), saying she received the news “with deep sorrow” and extended sympathy to the families of the victims.
The crash highlights a recurring road safety crisis in Tanzania. While the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 3,256 official road deaths in 2016, it estimated the real toll may be between 13,000 and 19,000 deaths annually, due to underreporting and systemic data gaps.
This latest accident echoes another major tragedy in 2024, when 25 people, including nationals from the United States, South Africa, and Kenya, were killed in a multi-vehicle collision in northern Tanzania.
Authorities have launched an investigation and emphasized the urgent need for better enforcement of road safety regulations, especially on steep terrain frequently used by long-distance trucks.