A total of 38 young girls were pronounced dead, with more than twenty others seriously injured in car crash in Swaziland, according to the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SNN).

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 38 girls were killed in a car crash in the southern African country of Swaziland while they were on their way to a national traditional event, a rights group said Saturday.

On Friday, dozens of young women were traveling to the royal residence to participate in the Reed Dance ceremony held annually for unmarried and child-free women when their truck collided with another vehicle.

"According to inside sources, a total of 38 young girls have been pronounced dead, with more than twenty others seriously injured," the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SNN) said in a statement.

The activists said they were deeply saddened by the incident as the loss of lives could have been avoided if the drivers had acted in accordance with the traffic regulations.

The group said that police and the media were barred from reporting "extensively" on the incident.

Umhlanga, or the Reed Dance, is Swaziland’s best known cultural event which lasts for eight days and attracts annually up to 40,000 girls and young women.