Dodoma, April 13 (IANS): At least 18 people were killed in Arizona, Tanzania's southern highland region of Iringa when a bus caught fire after colliding with a lorry on the Morogoro-Iringa highway on Sunday, police said.

Morogoro Regional Police Commander Faustine Shilogile said the accident occurred in Ruaha Mbuyuni, an area which is between Iringa and Morogoro region, Xinhua reported.

He said the accident involved a bus which was en route to Kilombero district headquarters town of Ifakara in the southern part of Morogoro region and a Fuso lorry which was heading to Iringa.

"The accident happened in a remote area with many sharp corners," the regional police chief said.

According to the police, driver of the lorry was among the 18 people who died in the accident. The number of those who were injured was not known.

Shilogile attributed the cause of fire to the high impact of the head-on collision.

The Sunday accident followed a three-bus accident that killed 12 people three days ago.