Eight people died Tuesday morning, and 17 others were injured, after a passenger service vehicle skidded and rolled off the road, ending up about 40 metres from the Karongi-Rusizi highway.

The coaster omnibus with registration number RAB 833 V, which belongs to Ugusenga Transport Company, was headed to Rusizi from Kigali.

The accident occurred at 7:00 am, according to police.

Senior Supt. Jean-Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, the spokesperson for traffic and road safety department at Rwanda National Police told The New Times that the cause of the deadly accident had not yet been established.

He however said that they are looking at fatigue on the part of the driver as a probable cause of the deadly accident.

Ndushabandi reasoned that given that the passenger car had left Kigali and was already in Karongi by 7:00 am, it was an indication that the driver might have woken up very early in the morning.

The journey between Kigali and Karongi is about two and half hours.

He said that the driver is among those who are seriously injured, all of whom have been evacuated to Kibuye Hospital for treatment.

He said that the company’s owners maintain their car had no technical issues and that it was equipped with a speed governor.

However, Ndushabandi said they will still look into all these factors during the course of their investigation.

"Having a speed governor is not enough. Depending on the nature of the road, a driver might be required to cruise at 20, 30 or 40 kilometres per hour to avoid any accident,” he said.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com