E-Paper
47 killed as Tanzanian bus plunges into river
The bus, going from the town of Melerani to Arusha, spun out of control on a bridge.
At least 47 people were killed on Friday when a bus plunged into a river in northern Tanzania, bringing the death toll from traffic accidents in the region to at least 75 this week.
The bus, going from the town of Melerani to Arusha, spun out of control on a bridge and toppled into a river at Makumira about 20 kilometres from its destination, killing the victims.
They included women and children, police said.
Medical officials at the morgue in Arusha's main hospital, where sobbing family members thronged to identify the dead, said 47 bodies had been recovered from the river.
But police could not confirm the death toll. They said an official figure would be released later Friday.
The exact number of survivors, if any, was not immediately clear.
The accident was the second mass fatality traffic incident in northern Tanzania this week, following the deaths of at least 28 people on Tuesday when a speeding cargo truck on which they were riding overturned.
Road accidents are common in the east African nation and police usually blame them on rampant violations of the traffic regulations, poor road or vehicle conditions and exhaustion among long-distance drivers.
