President Macky Sall said Sunday that 39 people were killed in the crash of two buses on an arterial road in Senegal’s central Kaffrine. More than 100 others were injured.
The accident photos showed the horrendous front end of a white bus with blood-flecked seats and personal belongings. A shoe was also found around the tree-lined crash scene.
Experts agree that road accidents are common in Senegal. They are mainly due to driver error and poor roads. But the latest tragedy has resulted from one of the greatest losses of life.
Sall addressed reporters to correct an earlier government statement that stated the death toll to be 40. This was due to a miscount at The Morgue.
After visiting the site of the crash, on the No. He made the comments after visiting the accident site on the No.
Sall stated that 39 people died in the accident at Kaffrine.
“We have lost many young persons in this accident. Tomorrow the Prime Minister will convene a multi-ministerial council which will include the entire transport industry — drivers, carriers, insurance, security services — to discuss the best ways to proceed,” he said.
The government announced Monday’s national mourning, and flags will be flown half-mast across the country.
Kaffrine mayor Abdoulaye Saydou Sow (also Minister of Urbanism) stated that the accident took place between 2:00 and 3:00 AM (GMT/local) Sunday. The cause was a burst Tyre.
He claimed that the Kaffrine mortuary was “saturated”; bodies were being transferred to another Kaolack morgue, which is located about 40 miles (65km).
Cheikh Dieng (public prosecutor) had stated previously in a statement the early investigations indicated that a bus carrying passengers was impacted by a burst of tyre.
He stated that it crashed with another bus going in the opposite direction.
‘Tragic’
Sow claimed that he had, along with several other ministers, visited the Kaolack and Kaffrine injured on Sunday.
The Minister of Land Transport, Mansour Fye, and the Health Minister Marie Kermesse Ngom accompanied the delegation. Samba Ndiobeneka, Minister of Territorial Equity and National Solidarity was also present.
Amadou Mme Diop, the president of National Assembly, said that he and all members of Parliament share the pain of the entire Senegalese populace. He also thanked the “rapid response” of emergency services.
Ousmane Sonko, Opposition politician, posted on Twitter that he would cancel a scheduled fundraising program due to the accident.
“We bow before our loved ones, and we offer our deepest condolences to them. We also pray that they find peace and healing.
France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, on Sunday, conveyed condolences her Senegalese counterpart. The French ministry stated in a statement.
A bus in western Senegal collided with an refrigerated vehicle on October 25, 2020. At least 16 people died and 15 were injured.