A truck carrying goods and traders has killed forty-one people in a road accident in central Mali on Tuesday when it rammed into a passenger bus.
Local media reported that the Truck driver lost control after a tyre burst 20km from Segou town and the vehicle veered into the lane of the oncoming bus.
Ministry spokesperson Mohamedoune Ould Mamouni said apart from the fatalities recorded, 33 people were severely wounded in the collision.
Such accidents are a common occurrence in the former French colony, where the poor state of the roads has been a source of social tension. Transport Minister Dembele Madina Sissoko said the dead included a baby, and promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Governor of Segou region, Alassane Traore said the crash “is the consequence of driving in the rain”. A crash survivor said, “visibility was poor and the road was wet because of the heavy rain”.
The World Health Organisation estimates that Africa’s dangerous roads have caused over 26 deaths per 100,000 population.