Eight people died instantly on Sunday after the vehicle in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck between Mariental and Gibeon in the Hardap region.

A ninth person, traveling in another vehicle involved in the road crash, also died.

According to the Namibian Police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the vehicle, a Ford Bantam, caught fire after the impact, killing all eight occupants, with four of them being burnt beyond recognition. This allegedly occurred around 22h00, some 60 kilometres from Mariental.

“It is alleged that the driver of a white Iveco bus was travelling with 23 passengers in the southern direction when he suddenly observed a Scania truck travelling in the opposite direction and moved over in his lane. To avoid a head-on collision, he allegedly made a swift turn to the right but was bumped on the side and subsequently, the bus went off the road and overturned, killing one of the passengers in the bus on the spot. The truck then proceeded and collided head-on with the Ford Bantam, which was travelling behind the Iveco with eight occupants,” Shikwambi said.

The 23 injured persons from the bus were rushed to the Mariental State Hospital.

Shikwambi added that the truck driver was seriously injured and admitted at Mariental State Hospital, while the bus driver was unhurt.

The deceased’s next of kin have not yet been informed of the deaths and police investigations continue. - Nampa