An early morning bus crash in central Senegal has resulted in the death of at least 40 persons with more than 75 seriously wounded.
Shots of the accident scene on social media show the damaged buses rammed into each other and a trail of debris along the road.
President Macky Sall said in a tweet on Sunday that the accident happened in Gnivy village, in the Kaffrine region, at about 3:30 a.m.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic road accident today in Gniby causing 40 deaths and many serious injuries. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Sall said.
President Sall declared three days of mourning starting Monday and said he will hold an inter-ministerial council to deliberate on road safety measures.
The accident happened on National Road No. 1 when a public bus punctured a tire and veered off the road, colliding with another oncoming bus from the opposite direction, Public prosecutor Cheikh Dieng said.
At least 25 people were killed in 2017 when two buses crashed in a similar manner. Most of its victims were headed toward the central town of Touba for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.