AT least 22 people have been killed and 21 injured in southern Mali when a minibus collided with a dump truck.

The accident took place about 9 a.m. local time on a national highway linking the town of Kangaba, near the border with Guinea, to Bancoumana further north, in the West African country Tuesday.

“The reasons behind the accident are excessive speed and non-respect of road rules,” the transport ministry said in a statement.

The injured were taken to a hospital in the capital, Bamako.

Road accidents are a regular occurrence in Mali, where the poor state of the motorways has been a source of social tension.

Twenty people were killed May 20 after a minibus and truck collided in the south of the country.

Travelling by road is still the principal means of transport for people and goods in the landlocked Sahel nation of some 20 million people.(SD-Agencies)