Nineteen People Killed In Senegal Road Crash

Nineteen people were killed on Monday when a bus and a truck collided in northern Senegal, firefighters said, eight days after a smashup between two buses left 40 dead.

According to Papa Ange Michel Diatta, a colonel with the national firefighting service, 24 persons were injured in the accident, which happened close to Sakal in the Louga area.

Three days of mourning was declared in Senegal a week ago when two buses crashed early on January 8, 2023, in the central district of Kaffrine, resulting in 40 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

In response, the government outlawed the import of old tires, which were thought to be the accident's contributing factor, and night buses.

Additionally, it declared that cars carrying persons and goods would be restricted to travelling at a maximum speed of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph).

According to experts, inadequate roads, outdated cars, and driver mistakes are the major causes of Senegal's frequent traffic accidents.

Senegal, a nation of 17 million people, has 24 traffic fatalities for every 100,000 citizens, according to the World Bank.

In contrast, the rate is two in Switzerland and six per 100,000 in the European Union, while the average rate for sub-Saharan Africa is 27.