29 pupils die in road accident in Tanzania

Thirty two people including 29 pupils, two teachers and a school bus driver died in a road accident Saturday afternoon in Arusha Region, a touristic resort in northern Tanzania, according to a local source.

The Arusha Regional Commissioner, Mrisho Gambo told Anadolu Agency that the pupils and the staff were all from Lucky Vincent Primary School in the city.

"According to earlier reports, other eight pupils got injured, some seriously and have been rushed to the nearest hospital in Karatu town, about 10 kilometers from the world famous Ngorongoro Crater," the regional commissioner told Anadolu Agency on telephone, adding: "The death toll might increase because some among the injured are in critical condition."

Antony Martin, an eyewitness said he believed the accident took place as the driver failed to control the bus at a steep corner in Rhotia area, some two kilometers from their destination.

The pupils, all standard seven, and their teachers were on a study tour.

'NATIONAL TRAGEDY'
Several other children were wounded, some of them severely, according to police.

President John Magufuli described the accident as a "national tragedy" in a statement.

Tanzania, the second-largest economy in east Africa, has a poor road safety network, but buses remain the main form of public transport between towns.

More than 11,000 people were killed in road accidents in Tanzania between 2014 and 2016, according to government data.