Windhoek: Four people died instantly on Monday morning when a 16-seater bus and a Ford Bantam collided head-on approximately 120 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo along the B1 road.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Namibian Police Force head of operations in the traffic law enforcement department, Deputy Commissioner Rozario Coetzee, stated at the accident scene that 15 people, including the driver, were travelling in the minibus, which belongs to a construction company, while the Ford Bantam had eight occupants, including the driver.

This brings the total number of people involved in the accident to 23, Coetzee said. The police officer stated that the bus was travelling from Windhoek to Otjiwarongo and the Bantam headed in the opposite direction.

'Approximately 120 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo, the two vehicles collided head-on and four people died at the scene. Nineteen others from both vehicles sustained injuries ranging from slight to serious and were transported to the Otjiwarongo and Okahandja State hospitals,' he said.

The accident occurred at about 09h36 on Monday morning and the exact cause is not yet known to the police. Police investigations into the matter continue.