A devastating road accident in central Malawi has claimed the lives of at least 26 people after a minivan collided with a fuel tanker and burst into flames.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday in the Kasungu district, leaving no survivors among the passengers.
According to Harry Namwaza, deputy spokesman for the Malawi Police Service, the driver of the minivan was speeding and attempted to overtake the fuel tanker, resulting in the catastrophic crash.
The passenger vehicle was en route to the capital city of Lilongwe when the accident occurred.
This latest tragedy highlights the alarming rate of road accidents in Malawi, which claim numerous lives weekly.
Last year, the country recorded 4,977 accidents, including 389 fatal ones, according to the Malawi Police Service.
Just last weekend, a speeding vehicle plunged into a marketplace in southern Malawi, kill!ng approximately 10 people.
Government officials, road engineers, and safety specialists attribute the high accident rate to reckless driving and poor road conditions.
The Malawi government faces mounting pressure to address the road safety crisis, as the nation m0urns the loss of yet another group of lives in a preventable tragedy.
