By Agence France-Presse

At least 22 people were killed and 10 wounded when a mining truck overturned in southeast DR Congo on Friday, police said.

The truck had many passengers on board when it tipped over at Mutetenya village in Tanganyika province, DR Congo’s national police said on Twitter.

“All the cargo of cassiterite (a mineral source of tin) spilled down the steep slope,” it added, giving a provisional death toll of 22.

The truck had been travelling from the town of Manono to Lubumbashi, the mining capital of the country.

The truck “hit a big rock before rolling”, said Pierre Mukamba, the administrator of the mineral-rich Manono territory.

The vehicle is owned by the Mining Mineral Resources (MMR), an Indian company registered in Tanzania.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in the vast, poor central African country, where the mostly dirt roads are poorly maintained.

Lacking cars or public transport, many people jump on board long-haul cargo trucks in often risky conditions to travel across the country.