Road crash kills 42 Angolan opposition supporters

More than 40 Angolan opposition supporters were killed and six injured in a road crash as they returned from a party meeting, police said on Tuesday.

"The accident happened late Sunday afternoon in Menga, a community in Kwanza Sul province, and killed 42 people and injured six," said provincial police commander Cabinda Daniel.

The Unita opposition said the group was returning from a meeting in the community 380 kilometres (235 miles) southeast of the capital Luanda.

"Their vehicle was hit violently by a truck speeding from the opposite direction, then crashed on to the shoulder of the road," spokesman Alcides Sakala told AFP.

Police said the truck driver's recklessness and speed caused the accident, but Unita blamed poor road maintenance and policing.

"These tragedies happen because of the bad state of our roads and the glaring lack of police control," said Sakala.

Party president Isaias Samakuva attended the victims' funerals on Tuesday.

Last week another Unita member died in the southern province of Benguela after he was run over by a car as he returned from a party meeting. His death provoked a violent reaction from fellow Unita members, who attacked two people, including the driver.

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