LUSAKA, Zambia — Eleven members of the Namibia Correctional Service, a police officer and two civilians were killed Saturday in a head-on collision in the country’s south-central region, officials said.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the crash occurred on the B1 highway near Mariental, about 167 miles (270 kilometers) from the capital, Windhoek.

“My heart goes out to the families who have lost their loved ones and to the men and women of the Namibia Correctional Service and the Namibian Police Force who are mourning their colleagues. No words can truly capture the depth of this loss,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said in a statement.

The accident involved a police van carrying six passengers — five officers and a civilian and a correctional service van with 13 people on board, according to authorities.

Three survivors were critically injured and remain hospitalized, officials said. — Agencies