DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 23 others were injured on Friday evening when their mini-bus was rear-ended by a fuel tanker and plunged into a gorge on the outskirts of Mbeya city in Tanzania's southern highlands, the police said Saturday.
Benjamin Kuzaga, the Mbeya regional police commander, said that the accident occurred along the Tanzania-Zambia highway. He added that eight of the victims died on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital.
During a news conference, he said that the fuel tanker was en route to the port of Dar es Salaam from Zambia, while the mini-bus was heading to Mbeya city from a suburb of Nsalaga in the region.
Kuzaga identified the deceased as four women and five men, saying that four of the injured persons were in critical condition.
Kuzaga also mentioned that the police had arrested the driver of the fuel tanker for questioning.
