Eleven people were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident in northeastern Zimbabwe on Friday morning, local authorities said.

The tragedy occurred in the small town of Mutoko in Mashonaland East province when tire burst caused a commuter omnibus to veer off the highway it was running on which connects the capital Harare to Nyamapanda on the border with Mozambique.

Eight people were killed on the spot, and three others died prior to or upon arrival in the hospital.

Robert Muzeziwa, an official from the province, told Xinhua that 12 of the injured people were locally hospitalized, and three of them who were in critical condition transferred to a hospital in Harare.

Zimbabwe has been plagued by a lot of fatal highway accidents. Police blamed them mostly on bad driving while poor road conditions in the landlocked country also contributed to the situation.