Five people died and 15 others were injured in an accident on the Kigali-Huye highway yesterday morning.

Police said the accident occurred when a coaster minibus registration number RAC 404H heading to Huye District collided head-on with a truck heading to Kigali from Muhanga registration number RAC 849L.

The accident occurred in Kamonyi District, Rugarika Sector at a place called Nkoto at 7.45am.

Three people died on the spot, including Kigali Basketball Club player, Jean Rutayisire, 30, while other victims were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Rutayisire was travelling to Huye together with his teammates for a league game against University of Rwanda’s team.

Fifteen passengers were injured, seven critically, Police said.

Those injured in the accident were taken to Central University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (Chuk).

Dr Theobald Hategekimana, the medical director of Chuk, told The New Times last evening that only four of those who were admitted to the facility were still in critical condition, 10 were steadily recovering.

The driver of the minibus identified as Jean Musoni, 40, was among the dead.

The truck’s driver, Ernest Kavutse, 34, escaped.

The coaster had 28 passengers on board while the truck was carrying bricks, Police said.Police attributed the accident to speeding and warned drivers against reckless driving.

"The coaster driver was trying to overtake another coaster when he collided with the truck,” Simon Peter Mukama, the Regional Police Commander for Southern Province, told The New Times.

The truck had two occupants.

"Drivers are driven by the interest to get money. We want transport agencies owners to avoid giving wages to drivers according to trips they make as this makes them hasty,” he added.

Jean Claude Mutangana, an eye witness, said they suspected the truck braking system had failed when it reached ‘Nkoto’ area as the driver tried to stop in vain.

It was racing like a thrown stone when it hit the coaster... later; we saw bodies along the road,” Mutangana, a motorcyclist, said.

A statement from the basketball governing body known by its French acronym as Ferwaba, said all basketball league games that had been scheduled yesterday were postponed.

The government last year devised several measures following numerous road accidents.

These include confiscating driving licenses, installing speed governors in public service vehicles, and heavy trucks, adding vigilance and efforts in vehicle mechanical inspection as well as sensitising road users.

Read related: Basketball player dies in car accident

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