Tanzanian bus plunges into river: 54 killed

The bus, going from the town of Melerani to Arusha, spun out of control on a bridge and toppled into the Malala river at Makumira about 20km from its destination, killing the victims. They included women and children, police said.

Regional police chief Basilio Matei told AFP that at least 54 of the 74 passengers believed to be on the bus, which had a seating capacity of only 26, had died.

The accident was the second mass fatality traffic incident in northern Tanzania this week, following the deaths of at least 28 people on Tuesday when a speeding cargo truck on which they were riding overturned.