At least 28 people have been killed after a passenger bus collided head-on with a timber truck and burst into flames on a highway in eastern Tanzania.
The fatal crash occurred late at night on October 9 in Mkambarani, within the Morogoro Region, according to local fire and rescue officials.
The acting commander of the regional fire and rescue force said the truck was attempting to overtake other vehicles when it collided head-on with the bus, which was travelling in the opposite direction.
The passenger bus was carrying an estimated 78 people and was travelling from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya when the crash occurred. The truck was heading from Iringa towards Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city.
The collision triggered a fire that completely destroyed the bus. Several passengers were taken to hospital, although the number of injured had not yet been confirmed.
A spokesperson for Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital said the facility would release figures for the number of people killed and injured who were brought there.
The tragedy comes amid continuing concerns over road safety in Tanzania. In June 2025, at least 37 people were killed when two buses collided near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. Both vehicles caught fire following that crash, prompting officials to call for stricter compliance with road safety regulations.
Authorities are continuing to assess the aftermath of the latest collision.
