Twelve people died early Friday and several others were injured in a road accident near Masvingo, in southeastern Zimbabwe, when a cross-border bus in which they were traveling collided head-on with a truck.
The South African-registered Luqrey Coach was bound from Johannesburg to Harare when the early-morning accident occurred on the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway.
Eleven people died on the spot while another died upon admission to the Masvingo General Hospital where a number of those injured were taken for treatment.
Deteriorating roadways and unsafe driving habits have boosted highway fatalities in Zimbabwe, in 2009 claiming the life of Susan Tsvangirai, wife of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, killed in a collision between their vehicle and a truck on the Masvingo road.
Police spokesman Superintendent Andrew Phiri told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the latest crash brings to 115 the highway death toll since December 15.
He said police were still investigating the cause of Friday's crash. "Police are still trying to figure out what happened," Phiri said. "We urge motorists to be cautious."