A minibus packed with schoolchildren catches fire in central Zimbabwe, killing 7

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A minibus packed with schoolchildren caught fire in central Zimbabwe Wednesday afternoon, killing seven, authorities said.

Twenty-four children were on board when the vehicle burst into flames in the city of Gweru, according to a police statement, adding that an investigation was underway, but initial examination suggested a jerry can of petrol kept in the minibus may have fueled the fire.

Authorities didn’t immediately share the number of the injured.

Local media reported the driver and conductor were taken to a hospital and that all the dead were schoolchildren.

State broadcaster ZBC News showed photos of the burned-out vehicle, saying some children were able to escape the blaze while the others trapped were killed. A rescue crew and firefighters were at the scene.

Private minibuses and unregulated sedan taxis are commonly used in Zimbabwe to transport children to schools.

The accident has renewed concerns about overcrowded vehicles used for school runs in the southern African country of around 15 million people.

In February, a cabinet minister said he had stopped a minibus carrying 42 schoolchildren despite its legal capacity of 15 passengers.

Road accidents involving buses, minibuses and unregulated sedan taxis are common in Zimbabwe, which has one of Africa’s highest traffic fatality rates. The World Health Organization estimates nearly 30 road deaths per 100,000 people annually. Authorities say human error accounts for a little over 90% of crashes in the country.

Across Africa, road crashes kill an estimated 300,000 people each year, about a quarter of the global toll, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, which says the continent of 1.5 billion people has the world’s highest road fatality rate despite accounting for just about 3% of the global vehicle population.