Thirty-three people died yesterday in Nigeria’s northern state of Yobe when two buses collided and burst into flames, a road safety agency official said.

“We had an accident today on the outskirt of Potiskum (city) involving two commuter buses in which 33 people were burnt to death,” Boyi Alli Maigari, head of the state-run Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Commission in the city told AFP.

He said the crash occurred when one of the buses burst a tyre and the driver lost control and rammed into a bus going in the opposite direction.

“All the 33 occupants of the two buses were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

They were given a mass burial at a public cemetery in Potiskum, the official said.

Accidents are common on Nigeria’s poorly-maintained road networks and are exacerbated by poor driving.

More than 17,000 people died in about 31,000 road accidents across Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, between 2007 and 2009, according to the road safety agency.

The agency said more than 73,000 were injured in these accidents during the period.