A head-on collision in Namibia involving vehicles belonging to the security services killed 14 people, including 11 members of the prison service, a police officer, and two civilians. The accident took place 270km (167 miles) south of the capital, Windhoek, outside the town of Mariental on Saturday. No words can truly capture the depth of this loss, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wrote on social media, praising the souls of our fallen officers. Namibia has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world. Home Affairs Minister Lucia Iipumbu also passed on her condolences and thanked those who attended the scene of the accident and the medical teams at Mariental State Hospital. She asked that photos from the scene not be shared. The ministry further strongly appeals to members of the public to refrain from circulating distressing and sensitive images and videos taken from the accident scene, out of respect for the deceased, the injured and their families, she is quoted by the Namibian newspaper as saying. She explained that 19 people in total were travelling in the two vehicles. The police van was carrying six passengers - five officers and a civilian - while the Namibian Correctional Service had 13 people on board. President Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that three other prison officers remained critically injured. We wish them strength and a full recovery, she added. Namibia's Motor Vehicle Accident Fund urged affected families to get in contact, offering assistance with burials and medical care. Road traffic crashes are a significant public health issue in Namibia, which has a population estimated at three million. In comparison, Namibia had 22 road traffic fatalities per 100,000 people in 2021, significantly higher than the UK's 2.3 per 100,000.