A man stands at the scene of a bus crash in Rusape about 170 kilomertes east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - A collision between two buses has killed 50 people in Zimbabwe and left about 80 others hospitalized, some with serious injuries, officials said.
The accident between the two long-distance buses occurred near Rusape, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of the capital, Harare, on Wednesday evening, said police spokesman Paul Nyathi.
One of the buses was trying to get around two trucks on a stretch of road where passing is prohibited, said Ellen Gwaradzimba, the minister for Manicaland province, in an interview with Zimbabwe's state broadcaster.
The buses, both of which were speeding, swerved but still sideswiped each other and crashed, police told the broadcaster.
The number of dead overwhelmed Rusape's small morgue, which can only hold up to 16 bodies, the state-run Herald newspaper reported.
Bus accidents are frequent in this southern African country, where bus drivers often exceed the speed limit in order to make as many trips as possible per day.
The road where the accident occurred was recently resurfaced as part of government attempts to improve infrastructure.
Women walk by the scene of a bus crash in Rusape about 170 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press
People react after hearing news about their relatives, after a bus crash in Rusape about 170 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press
A woman who survived a bus crash receives treatment in Rusape about 170 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press
A woman who survived a bus crash receives treatment in Rusape about 170 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press
Klavan Munyisa who is 3 months old lays in a hospital bed after surviving a bus crash in Rusape about 170 kilometres east of the capital Harare, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. A head-on collision between two buses has killed 47 people, where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
The Associated Press