18 killed in Nigeria after bus bursts into flames

DUMBULWA, Nigeria – Nigerian authorities say 18 people are dead after a bus crashed head-on with a car in the country's northeast.

Road safety official Ali Maigari said that the accident occurred Friday when the driver of a car trying to overtake the bus collided with it and it burst into flames.

Authorities conducted a mass burial for the victims who were killed at the scene.

Accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads. Drivers often travel at high speed and overtake slower vehicles, leading to such head-on collisions and high death rates.

Even main cities are linked by pitted, two-lane roads crammed with passenger buses, trucks laden with goods and rickety private vehicles.