LUSAKA, Jan. 13 -- Four people died on the spot while 18 others are battling for their lives after a vehicle they were traveling in was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle in eastern Zambia, the Times of Zambia reported on Monday.

Zambia Police deputy spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said the accident happened on Saturday afternoon when a Hiace minibus failed to maintain his lane and rammed into an on-coming Toyota Regius bus vehicle in Rufunsa district.

The police spokesperson said the Hiace bus was carrying 16 passengers while the Regius bus had six passengers when the accident occurred, adding that the injured passengers were rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

"Four people were seriously injured from the Regius bus and 13 from the Hiace bus," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

Road traffic accidents involving public buses are common in Zambia and are mainly caused by careless driving and the poor state of roads.