ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A car accident in Ethiopia's northern Amhara regional state has killed nine people, an Ethiopian official said on Thursday.

Gobeze Yifraw, Public Relations Director, East Gojjam Zone Police Department of Amhara regional state, said the accident happened when a passenger minibus traveling on the road overturned after its tires blew out on Wednesday evening.

He further said eight other passengers including the driver are receiving treatment in nearby health stations for light and heavy injuries.

Initial investigation by the police shows speeding was among causes of the deadly accident.

Despite having one of the lowest per capita car ownership in the world, deadly traffic accidents in Ethiopia are common with blames put on bad roads, flawed driving license issuance system and lax enforcement of road safety.

Traffic accidents during the Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2016/17 that ended on July 8 2017 led to the deaths of 4,500 people, according to Ethiopia Federal Transport Authority.