At least 40 people have been killed and dozens injured in a bus accident in central Senegal, the country’s president said on Sunday.
President Macky Sall said in a tweet that the accident occurred in the village of Gnivy, in the Kaffrine region, at around 3:30 a.m.
Suite au grave accident de ce jour à Gniby ayant causé 40 morts, j’ai décidé d’un deuil national de 3 jours à compter du 9 janvier. An interministerial council will be held à la même date for the prize de mesures fermes sur la securité routière et le transport public des voyageurs.
—Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) January 8, 2023
“I am deeply saddened by today’s tragic traffic accident in Gniby which has caused 40 deaths and many seriously injured. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” Sall said.
He declared three days of mourning starting Monday and said he will hold an inter-ministerial council to discuss road safety measures.
Prosecutor Cheikh Dieng said the accident occurred on National Highway No. 1 when a public bus had a flat tire and crossed the road, colliding with another bus coming from the opposite direction. At least 78 people were injured, some seriously, he said.
Images of the accident on social media show the damaged buses crashing into each other and leaving a trail of debris along the road.
Car accidents occur regularly in the West African nation due to bad roads, bad cars and drivers who don’t play by the rules, locals say.
In 2017, at least 25 people were killed when two buses also collided. Many of those people were heading to the central city of Touba for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.
