Eighteen people perished in a gruesome accident that occurred this morning along the Kigali-Kayonza highway, at a place commonly known as Akabuga ka Musha.

The accident involved a Tanzania-registered truck which ran over a passenger service van that carried 19 people, and all on board but two died.

The other victim was a child who was working on a roadside farm together with his mother.

The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Rwamagana hospital mortuary, where several people gathered to identify the victims.

The Director of the hospital Dr. Madeline Mukeshimana confirmed to The New Times that they had received the victims, adding that they were still gathering information.

"We have so far counted eighteen bodies…only two people reached here still breathing. We have referred them to CHUK; most of the bodies were crashed beyond recognition,” she said.

The eighteen people were killed on impact as the car got wedged under the trailer, eyewitnesses said.

Claudette Uwimana who was at the scene said the trailer, which was headed to Kigali, was at a high speed and at first it knocked two cars before it crashed the omnibus.

Most of the deceased had not been identified by press time, but police said the victims hailed from different districts.

Police said they were investigating the incident, and by the press time there were no indication that speeding, alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

The police commissioner for traffic and road safety, George Rumanzi, cautioned drivers against reckless driving.

"Drivers should be warned that terrific speed and reckless driving leads to unnecessary deaths. We are going to intensify road safety at this particular place that is prone to accidents. It should however, be the responsibility of all road users,” he said.

Musha has been identified as a hotspot for accidents in which several people die every year.