COTONOU, Jan 31, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Twenty-two people have died in a collision between a bus and a truck in the centre of the West African state of Benin, the government said on Monday.

The crash occurred on Sunday near Dassa-Zoume, "causing at least 22 deaths and many injured," who are being treated in several clinics, it said in a statement.

The Baobab Express transport firm said the bus was travelling from Parakou to the economic capital Cotonou in the south with 40 passengers onboard.

Many of the passengers died in a blaze that broke out after the collision, the government said.

Baobab Express cancelled all its bus services as an official investigation was launched into the crash and the authorities set up a support unit for relatives.