Two children are among the 26 people that have died in a road accident that took place in the early hours of Thursday.

A high roof minibus, registration number MZ 11670, going towards Lilongwe, hit and killed a pedal cyclist before ramming into a Tanzanian fuel tanker coming in the opposite direction at Katondo Village near Santhe Trading Centre.

“After the collision with the tanker, the minibus went up in flames, killing all the 25 people on board,” Police spokesperson in the district, Joseph Kachikho says.

District Commissioner for Kasungu, James Kanyangalazi, has meanwhile said the government will ensure that bereaved families are assisted.

“It’s a sad day for us here in Kasungu and the nation at large that we have lost 26 people, two of whom being children.

“As a council, we rushed to the accident site with the police and health personnel and have brought the bodies to Kasungu mortuary,” Kanyangalazi said.

He said government will provide all the assistance needed through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

“We have already communicated to the Office of President and Cabinet and the Ministry of Local Government,” Kanyangalazi said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people have gathered at Kasungu District Hospital mortuary where relatives are trying to identify the bodies.

The police say the identification process will be difficult as most of the bodies have been severely burnt.

The driver of the minibus has been identified as Jack Phiri from Dedza.