HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) \u2014 A minibus taxi in southwest Zimbabwe caught fire on a highway Thursday, killing about a dozen and a half people, police said.<\/p>\n
Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said that authorities needed more time to confirm the exact number of victims, but that it was \u201capproximately 18.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vehicle \u201cexploded into fire\u201d on a highway near the second biggest city of Bulawayo, police said in a separate statement. They didn\u2019t immediately give a cause of the fire.<\/p>\n
Minibus taxis are a popular method of public transport in the southern African nation and are often packed beyond their recommended capacity, including by squashing people onto the driver’s seat.<\/p>\n
Deadly road accidents<\/a> involving public transportation are common in Zimbabwe, where speeding is also widespread as drivers attempt to maximize daily trips. Poorly maintained roads add to the danger.<\/p>\n Zimbabwe, with a population of about 15 million, records a road accident every 15 minutes, killing at least five people daily, according to the national statistics agency \u2014 one of the highest road fatality rates in Africa.<\/p>\n Neighboring South Africa also struggles with high accident rates for its popular minibus taxis and has also reported several deadly crashes<\/a> involving the vehicles recently, including one in January<\/a> that left 14 schoolchildren dead.<\/p>\n