MAPUTO, June 10, 2024 (BSS/XINHUA) -- At least 22 people, including two children, lost their lives Sunday night in a traffic accident involving a goods truck and a passenger bus on national road EN6 in Mozambique's central province of Sofala.

According to Radio Mozambique, the state radio station, another 48 people were injured. Reports from survivors indicate that the bus was traveling at high speed before it collided with a stationary goods truck and overturned in a local river.

The bus was carrying more than 70 passengers, heading from Mutua in the Dondo District to the city of Beira, the provincial capital of Sofala.

The deceased were taken to the Dondo Health Center morgue, while the injured, many in serious condition, were transferred to Beira Central Hospital, the report said.

Armando Mafambira, head of the Mafambisse Administrative Post, said the causes of the accident are still under investigation. Specialized equipment has been mobilized to remove the crashed bus, he said.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi expressed his condolences to the families of the victims Monday morning during the inauguration of a hospital in Mapinhane, Vilanculo District, Inhambane Province. Nyusi also condemned speeding drivers.

Governor of Sofala Province Lourenco Bulha and Secretary of State for Sofala Province Cecilia Chamutota visited the Dondo Health Center to monitor the relief operations.

Due to the limited capacity of the Dondo morgue, some bodies were transferred to the mortuaries of the Beira Central Hospital and the Mafambisse Health Center, according to the report.