THREE people died and eight others suffered injuries after a Zube Trans Co. bus was involved in a head-on collision with a truck carrying empty carbonated drink bottles.

Amon Kakwale, the Singida regional police commander, confirmed the accident, noting that it occurred at midnight on Monday at Njirii village, Manyoni District.

Bodies of the deceased, who include the bus driver and the truck driver, along with another person yet to be ascertained, were preserved at the Manyoni District Hospital.

The Zube Trans bus, T 695 DDJ traveling from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam collided with the truck, T 908 DVX, heading from Itigi to Singida, the police chief noted.

Dr Furaha Mwakafwila, the district chief medical officer, confirmed that those injured in the accident were on the way to recovery, with relatives being awaited to claim the bodies of the deceased.

Just over ten days earlier on July 11, another bus belonging to the same company had an accident in the same Njirii village area, with local residents baffled at the pattern and seeking answers.

Global accident data indicates that 80 percent of accidents arise from reckless driving, 12 percent from mechanical problems, six percent from bad weather and an estimated two percent of road accidents are traced to poor road networks.

The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that road traffic injuries lead to claiming the lives of people aged 5-29 years, every year road accidents claim the lives of more than 1.19 million people, disproportionately featuring the developing countries, the report shows.