DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 24 (AFP) - A leap in death rates caused by AIDS-related illnesses and road accidents have overwhelmed the morgue at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), the country's largest medical centre, the state-owned Sunday News reported Sunday.

"It is really bad that some of the bodies are not collected for several weeks and others are left on the floor for several days due to lack of space. It is pathetic," a hospital official who requested anonymity told the paper.

The morgue has capacity for 28 bodies, but up to 40 people die in the wards daily and the rate of collection of the corpses is slow, the paper said.

Deputy health minister Dr. Hussein Mwinyi told the newspaper that the government was aware of the problem and was looking for a solution.

Without giving figures, hospital officials attributed the increased death rate to AIDS-related illnesses and road accidents.

Some official estimates suggest 1.2 million people in Tanzania are infected with HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

Tanzania, one of the world's poorest countries, has a population of 32 million.

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