08 May, 2017
The post Dozens of schoolchildren killed in Tanzanian bus accident appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
The accident involved pupils and three teachers of the Lucky Vincent English Medium Primary School located on the outskirts of northern Tanzania's safari capital of Arusha.
AFP | A bus crash in Tanzania that claimed the lives of 32 primary school pupils, two teachers and the driver was likely caused by speeding, police said.
The small bus veered off a steep road near the town of Karatu, in Arashu region on Saturday morning and plunged into a river.
President John Magufuli sent his condolences to the families of the victims.
Regional police commander, Mkumbo confirmed the death toll to the media, adding that several children escaped with injuries.
Drivers of school buses in the Clark County School District undergo training almost four times longer than state minimum requirements and double federal average training time before being placed on a route in the district.
Fifteen years later, in 2009, 12 students died in a fire at the Idodi Secondary School in Iringa.
"The accident has cut short the dreams of students who were preparing to serve the nation", Magufuli said.
Traffic accidents are frequent in Tanzania and many other African countries due to the poor condition of vehicles and roads.
