14 dead in a bus accident in Zimbabwe

A bus crashes in Zimbabwe, killing 14 people and injuring 55.

A bus veered off a highway and crashed into a tree in southern Zimbabwe, killing 14 people and injuring 55, state radio reported Saturday.

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Nine of the victims died at the scene of the accident near the southern town of Masvingo, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Harare, the radio said. Five died on the way to a nearby mission hospital and the main Masvingo hospital.

The bus was carrying 75 people.

Police were investigating the cause of the crash late on Thursday, and appealed to relatives to come forward to identify the dead, the radio said. It was not clear whether the driver was among those killed.

Bus accidents are common in Zimbabwe, blamed on shortages of replacement tires and spare parts. The heaviest seasonal rains since colonial-era records began a century ago have also left poorly maintained streets and highways pitted by potholes and crumbling asphalt.