By yesterday afternoon Police were still trying to confirm the identities of the 17 victims, a task made difficult by the chaotic accident scene.

"Nobody knows exactly what happened.

Things were scattered everywhere.

You don't know what is where; the microbus was totally crushed like a can.

It is just a terrible scene," Namibian Police spokesperson Stephan Nuuyi told The Namibian yesterday.

The accident happened just after midnight, when the Volkswagen Microbus carrying 17 people travelled northwards from Grootfontein to Mururani, near Rundu.

Approaching from the opposite direction, an Namibia Defence Force recovery vehicle was towing a large cargo carrier.

Although the cause of the accident is still being investigated, Police say the minibus somehow smashed into the cargo carrier and was destroyed on impact.

"Unfortunately all 17 occupants in the microbus passed away," Nuuyi said.

The two occupants of the recovery vehicle escaped without injury.

"The group tasked with identifying the casualties will be busy with that today.

We don't have any identities of the deceased at this stage," the Police spokesperson said.

The accident took place approximately 14 km outside Grootfontein, between the town and the Mururani Police checkpoint.

A civilian who passed the accident scene just minutes after it happened contacted The Namibian yesterday to describe what she had seen.

"We passed maybe a few minutes after it happened.

It (the minibus) didn't even look like a car.

It looked like some small piece of tin.

We saw a head that had been cut off.

It was terrible," said the woman, who identified herself only as Tina.

She added that when her car passed the Mururani checkpoint just before they came across the accident, Police there told them they had just warned the driver of a minibus to watch his speed.

According to the loading master of the Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) in Windhoek, David Lubinda, there were two drivers and fifteen passengers on board the destroyed vehicle.

Six of these were Zimbabwean nationals, while at least three babies were also reportedly on board.

The minibus left Windhoek at around 17h30, Lubinda said, heading towards Katima Mulilo.

A maximum of ten adult passengers are usually allowed on a minibus such as this, Lubinda said, although babies sitting on their parents' laps don't pay and are not counted.

A trip to Katima Mulilo from Windhoek costs N$230.

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