27 die in Zimbabwe Bus crash

A crowded bus collided with a freight train Tuesday, killing 27 people including the driver, police said.

It was believed the bus driver did not hear the train's siren at a rail crossing in southwestern Harare, said police spokesman Andrew Phiri.

The dead were 16 men and 11 women, most thought to be market traders carrying wares during the morning rush hour to Mbare Musika, the main market in the capital.

The injured were ferried to Harare's Parirenyatwa hospital. Police appealed to relatives to come forward to identify the dead and injured.

Bus accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where they are blamed on careless driving and mechanical failures due to shortages in the crumbling economy of spare parts and replacement tires.