Bujumbura, Apr 11 (IANS): A passenger bus crashed on Saturday evening, killing 18 passengers and injuring 55 others at Benga in Bujumbura Rural province, 18 km east of the Burundian capital Bujumbura, local administration officials said Sunday.

"The passenger bus of the Burundi state-run transportation company (OTRACO) crashed yesterday (Saturday) at about 18:30 (16:30 GMT) when the bus linking the capital Bujumbura to Rushubi in Isare district had reached the level of Benga. It is difficult to say how many passengers were in the bus but by midnight, 18 passengers had died and 55 others had been injured and admitted in various health structures," Xinhua quoted Gilbert Niyonkuru, administrator of Isare district, as saying.

According to him, the bus crash took place almost three km after branching from the asphalted road linking Bujumbura to Bugarama.

He indicated that most of the victims of the accident were masons who generally construct houses in the east African country's capital Bujumbura.