OTJIWARONGO, NAMIBIA — Two women died early Tuesday morning in a collision involving two passenger buses on the B1 road between Otavi and Otjiwarongo.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Senior Inspector Maureen Mbeha, the Namibian Police Force head of community affairs for the region, reported that the accident occurred around 01:30 AM, approximately 57 kilometers north of Otjiwarongo. An Intercape passenger bus, carrying 59 passengers from Oshakati to Windhoek, collided head-on with an Iveco minibus traveling in the opposite direction. “It is further alleged that the Iveco minibus was overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the Intercape bus,” Mbeha explained in a media statement.

The collision resulted in immediate fatalities and injuries. A woman from the Intercape bus was pronounced dead at the scene, while another seriously injured passenger from the Iveco died en route to Otjiwarongo State Hospital. The Intercape bus driver sustained serious leg injuries and is slated for transfer to a private medical facility in the Oshana Region. Additional passengers from both vehicles, suffering from minor to serious injuries, were transported to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital for medical care.

The identities of the deceased had not been established as of Tuesday morning. The local police have opened a culpable homicide docket at the Otjiwarongo Police Station, and investigations into the exact circumstances of the crash are ongoing.