Senegal is observing three days of National Day of Mourning starting on Monday following the death of at least 40 people.
They were killed in central Senegal after two buses collided on Sunday. About 80 were wounded in the crash as well.
President Macky Sall said in statement that he was “profoundly saddened” by the accident and announced three days of mourning.
The crash is one of the deadliest in the West African country’s recent memory.
The accident occurred after the tyre of one passenger bus burst, sending it into the path of another bus coming in the opposite direction, local prosecutors said.
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Footage from the scene shared online showed two white buses, their mangled fronts entwined. Debris was strewn across the narrow road.
Road accidents are common in Senegal, where large trucks and buses, often decades old, overburdened and listing, hurtle down two-lane highways pitted and rutted by overuse.
In 2017, two buses collided, killing 25 people, including some heading to a religious festival.
Many African countries have recorded a surge in road carnages amid poorly maintained roads and vehicles. Driver errors also often contribute to the accidents.
Analysts have expressed worry over the spate of road accidents especially over the festive season.
At least 16 people were killed in an accident last week in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.
In Ivory Coast also at least 14 people died with dozens others sustaining injuries last week after two buses collided on the outskirts of Ivory Coast’s capital, Yamoussoukro.
Source: Africafeeds.com
