Twelve people, including a baby, on Tuesday afternoon died on the spot in a head-on collision accident involving a Zimbabwean truck and a minibus on the Great North Road (GNR) five kilometers after Mkushi Boma.

The accident happened at around 14:35 hours when a Daf truck and trailer, registration number NZW 232 GP and PGN351 GP from Kapiri Mposhi lost control and hit into a Hiace minibus registration number ACK 537 from Mkushi.

A Zesco Toyota Land Cruiser, registration number ABR 3128, also hit into the minibus and the driver, Bernard Kunda, 34 of Mkushi sustained injuries.

The driver of the minibus, Justin Mulenga of Makululu Township in Kabwe died on the spot alongside his 11 passengers while his co-driver, Fred Sinkala, 22, survived but sustained a fractured left arm.

Leeby Kaseke, 26, the Zimbabwean national who was driving the truck survived the road accident but sustained minor injuries.

The impact of the accident forced the minibus and the Toyota Land Cruiser to career off the road leaving a trail of destruction.

Central Province police chief, Simon Mpande confirmed the accident in Kabwe yesterday and said the bodies of the 12 passengers were in Mkushi General Hospital mortuary and those injured were being treated at the same hospital.

Mkushi North Member of Parliament, Lucy Changwe, who rushed to the scene of the accident described it as unfortunate, taking into account that within a short spell of time more than 20 lives had been lost on the Kapiri Mposhi-Mkushi highway.

In another incident, a Marco Polo bus, registration number ABC 778 on Tuesday night knocked down a motorist killing him instantly on the GNR near Prospect police station.

The driver of the bus belonging to Vwalika knocked down Maston Hangala as he tried to overtake another vehicle, thereby hitting into the deceased who was riding a motorcycle, registration number ABF 3877.

Mr Mpande said the accident happened around 20:00 hours.

In Masaiti, three people died in an accident on Tuesday night after a Marco Polo bus travelling from Lusaka to Ndola was involved in a head-on collision with a Scania truck moving in the opposite direction in Kafulafuta area.

Copperbelt police chief, Antoinell Mutentwa confirmed the incident.

He said one person from the bus and two people from the truck died in the accident.

"A Marco Polo bus, registration number ABC 9482 was involved in a head-on collision with a truck in an accident which left three people dead," Mr Mutentwa said.

The accident happened at Kafulafuta Nyenyezi at about 19:30 hours.

He said the two people who died in the truck were the driver and his lorry mate.

Mr Mutentwa said the other passengers on the bus were all taken to Ndola Central Hospital where hospital staff attended to those that sustained injuries.