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At least 23 killed in Senegal bus crash


By AFP
Published : 26 Jul 2023 09:54 PM

Twenty-three people died Wednesday when a bus crashed in northern Senegal, President MackySall announced on social media.

"I call for even more caution on the road", Sall said in a message posted on Twitter.

Earlier, a national fire brigade official and a first responder told AFP that  22 people had died and 52 others were injured.

The accident happened in the village of NgeuneSarre in Louga region, they  said. They did not specify the cause or time of the accident.

Interior Minister Antoine Felix AbdoulayeDiome was on his way to the  accident site, a staffer told AFP.

In January, 19 people were killed and 24 injured in a collision in the same  area, near Louga.

The previous week, around 40 people died in a bus collision in the centre of  Senegal.

That tragedy, on January 8, prompted a wave of criticism against authorities  over the frequency of accidents on Senegal's roads, and the lack of action  taken to prevent them.

The government responded by announcing a long list of measures, including a  ban on overnight bus journeys. But transport professionals said that many of  the measures were unrealistic.

Across many countries in Africa, dilapidated vehicles, reckless driving and 

corrupt law-enforcement officials all contribute to tragedies on the road.