MOPTI-(MaraviPost)-A bus explosion on the road between Bandiagara and Goundaka, in the Mopti area in Mali has killed at least eleven people and injured several others .
Moussa Housseyni of the local Bandiagara Youth Association in the area confirmed the toll in a statement adding that the victims were all civilians.
The blast occurred when the bus hit an explosive device with civilians on board in the region known as a hotbed for extremist violence.
The attack has not been claimed but bears the hallmark of al-Qaida-linked extremist groups who are known for placing mines on roads to target Malian army vehicles and U.N. peacekeepers, ABC reported.
The extremist groups in the region have been using mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as the weapons of choice in the previous attacks.
Security concerns across the country have deepened since the French military withdrew its last troops from Mali in August.
The UN mission in Mali found that mines and IEDs had caused 72 deaths in 2022 as of August 31. In 2021, 103 people were killed and 297 injured by IEDs and mines.
