President Macky Sall decreed three days of national mourning for the road accident that occurred at 3:15 local time (0:15 in Argentina) near the city of Kaffrine, 250 kilometers from Dakarthe capital, according to a statement from the fire department.
According to the prosecutor’s office, a bus left the road after one of its tires burst and collided head-on with another that was coming from the opposite direction, the AFP news agency reported.
Through his Twitter account, the President of Senegal offered his condolences to the families of the victims and stressed: “Following today’s serious accident in Gniby that caused 40 deaths, I have decided to go on national mourning for 3 days from January 9th.
“On the same date, an inter-ministerial council will be held to take firm measures on road safety and public passenger transport,” he added.
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Colonel Cheikh Fall, in charge of the rescue operations, assured that “it was a serious accident” and, in a first balance, indicated that “we counted 125 victims, of whom 38 died.”
The injured were taken to the Kaffrine hospital.
The governor and other local officials went to the crash site.
Traffic accidents are frequent in Senegal, largely due to the poor condition of the roads and the age of the vehicles, according to AFP.
This Sunday’s accident is one of the worst in years.
