Bus Crash In Senegal Claims 40 Lives.
The government of Senegal said on Sunday that two buses collided head-on overnight on a main route in the central Kaffrine district, killing forty persons and injuring 85 others.
Images from the scene showed a white bus with its front end severely damaged, along with blood-spattered seats, scattered personal belongings, and a shoe near the collision site.
According to experts, driver mistake, bad roads, and outdated cars are the main causes of Senegal’s frequent traffic accidents, but the most recent catastrophe resulted in one of the country’s worst fatality rates from a single occurrence in recent memory.
The government declared three days of national mourning starting on Monday, during which all flags would be flown at half-staff.
On Sunday, it was announced that President Macky Sall will visit the accident scene near the town of Sikilo.
The government issued a statement that said, “In light of this tragedy, the head of state sends his sincere sympathies to the families of the fatalities and wishes a rapid recovery to the wounded.”
Early investigations showed that a public passenger bus experienced a ruptured tire and veered off course, according to public prosecutor Cheikh Dieng.
Then, according to him, it collided “head-on with another bus going from the other way.”
Tragic: According to the statement, the event took at about 03:30 GMT.
Abdoulaye Saidu Sow, the mayor of Kaffrine and also the minister of urbanism, described it as “a horrible accident” to AFP.
Speaking from Kaffrine, he added that on Sunday, the prime minister and numerous other ministers will join President Sall there.
In light of the incident, opposition lawmaker Ousmane Sonko tweeted that he would postpone a planned fundraiser event.
He said, “We bow before the memory of the deceased, extend our heartfelt sympathies to their bereaved family members and to all Senegalese, and pray for the merciful rest of their souls as well as a speedy recovery for the injured.”
The National Fire Brigade’s chief of operations, Colonel Cheikh Fall, told AFP that the wounded were brought to a hospital and medical facility in Kaffrine.
According to him, the debris has subsequently been removed and regular traffic has returned to the route.
He stated that the governor as well as regional authorities had visited the spot.
President Sall said in a tweet that a government council would be called to “take tough steps on road safety” once the time of national mourning ended.
At least 16 people were murdered and another 15 were wounded when a bus and a refrigerated truck crashed in western Senegal in October 2020.
