NAMIBIA – At least 16 people were killed on a Saturday head-on collision accident on B1 highway involving state vehicles in Namibia.

The accident involved a police van, which was carrying six passengers, five of whom were officers, and a civilian and a Namibian correctional service van, which had 13 occupants on board.

Eleven members from the Namibia Correctional Service, a police officer and two civilians were among the dead.

Three of the victims were critically injured and transported to hospital, with two police officers later succumbing to injuries.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the tragedy occurred near Mariental, 167 miles from the nation’s capital of Windhoek.

“My heart goes out to the families who have lost their loved ones and to the men and women of the Namibia correctional service and the Namibian police force who are mourning their colleagues. No words can truly capture the depth of this loss,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said in a statement.