Zimbabwe church minibus crash kills at least 27, police say

A minibus carrying churchgoers collided head-on with a truck in central Zimbabwe, killing at least 27 people and injuring seven others, police said Saturday.

Police said the crash happened at around 1830 GMT on Friday near Chivhu, about 140 kilometres south of Harare. They said the foreign-registered haulage truck was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the minibus, which was carrying worshippers to a conference.

Both vehicles were carrying an unknown number of passengers, police said.

Footage shared on social media by public broadcaster ZBC showed the minibus badly damaged and charred, with the truck on the opposite side of the road.

Traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where roads have been affected by underfunding and neglect, and driving standards can be poor. Many people rely on privately run minibus taxis known locally as kombi, which are often criticised for overloading.