Eight days before the accident, another crash occurred that left over 100 people injured and 40 dead.
Officials report that a bus and a truck collided in northern Senegal, resulting in at least 19 fatalities and 24 injuries.
According to Papa Ange Michel Diatta, a colonel with the national firefighting service, the incident happened early on Monday near Sakal in the Louga region.
According to the state-owned Le Soleil newspaper, the bus swerved to avoid hitting an animal and struck the truck on the Number 2 national road. It was further stated that the injured were taken to the local hospital, Amadou Sakhir Mbaye.
President Macky Sall sent “heartfelt condolences” to the families of those killed in the accident, adding that the incident shows “the need to strengthen road safety measures” in the West African country.
Encore un autre accident mortel sur nos routes à l’entrée de Ngeun Sarr. 19 vies humaines perdues et 24 blessés. Cela met en évidence la nécessité de renforcer les mesures de sécurité routière. Mes condoléances émues aux familles éplorées. Prompt rétablissement aux blessés.
— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) January 16, 2023
The accident came just eight days after Senegal was plunged into mourning following the collision of two buses in the early morning of January 8 in the central region of Kaffrine, leaving 40 dead and more than 100 injured.
The government responded by banning night buses and outlawing the import of used tyres – the suspected cause of the accident.
It also announced that the speed of vehicles transporting goods and people would be limited to 90km/h (56mph).
In October 2020, at least 16 people were killed and 15 more injured in western Senegal when a bus collided with a refrigerated truck heading towards the capital, Dakar.
Source: Aljazeera.com