JOHANNESBURG - A minibus collided with a car in the central South African province of Free State on Thursday, leaving seven dead and 11 injured, local police said.

Shortly before noon, a minibus from the Free State town of Ladybrand suddenly lost its control and crashed head-on into an on- coming car as it tried to negotiate a sharp curve on the downhill road, local media quoted the police as saying.

The minibus carrying 15 passengers rolled several times and caught fire, causing five of the passengers burnt to death and ten passengers hurt. Among four occupants of the car, three were killed on the scene and one was injured, said the police.

The local police rushed to the scene and sent the injured people to local hospitals for treatment, according to the police.

The cause of the failure of the minibus control was not available.