By Guled Mohamed

MOGADISHU, July 8 (Reuters) - A road accident in northern Somalia killed at least 16 people and injured dozens more, including 20 children, officials said on Sunday.

A truck packed with people fleeing violence in Mogadishu overturned in the remote village of Mataban in the northern Hiraan region late on Saturday, Hiraan regional Governor Hussein Mohamed Malin said.

"The latest death toll is 16," Malin told Reuters, speaking from Baladwayne, 350 km (217 miles) north of the capital. "Some died on the spot and others in hospital. Dozens were wounded, including 20 young children."

Somali radio stations reported that over 60 people were injured, but that figure could not be independently verified.

The driver of the truck, which was headed for the northern port of Bosasso, fled the scene of the accident, Malin said.

He added that he believed the crash victims were heading to Bosasso to take a boat across the shark-infested Gulf of Aden to Yemen, and that poor road conditions and speeding were likely to blame for the accident.

Somalia was plunged into anarchy in 1991 after warlords ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Since then, thousands have died from armed conflict, famine and accidents on the woefully neglected roads.

AlertNet news is provided by