Scores of people have been killed after a collision between two buses in Zimbabwe.

Two long distance buses going in opposite directions collided near Rusape, about 105 miles east of the capital Harare on Wednesday evening.

One of the buses tried to pass two haulage lorries on a stretch of the road where overtaking is prohibited, resulting in the collision with an oncoming bus, Ellen Gwaradzimba, the provincial minister for Manicaland province, said.

Zimbabwe Bus Crash
Women walk by the scene of a bus crash in Rusape(Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP)

The buses swerved to avoid a head-on collision but their sides collided. Both buses were speeding, police said.

The number of bodies has overwhelmed the small town’s morgue, which can only accommodate up to 16 bodies, reported the state-run Herald newspaper.

Bus accidents are frequent in the country, where speeding often means more money for crews that compete for customers and try to make as many trips as possible per day.

The road where the accident happened was recently resurfaced as part of government attempts at improving collapsing road infrastructure.