N’DJAMENA: Around 30 people were killed and some 50 more injured when two buses collided in central Chad, the Sahel country's transport ministry said on Monday.
The accident happened overnight on Sunday when a passenger bus coming from the capital N'Djamena collided with a bus from Abeche, the country's third-largest town, the ministry said in a statement.
Abdelaziz Hisseine, secretary of the department (county) of Batha West, put the toll at 33 dead and 54 injured.
“All of the injured have been taken to Abeche,“ said Hisseine.
The ministry statement said an inquiry had been launched.
Fatal traffic accidents are frequent in Chad, a vast semi-desert country, typically caused by excessive speed, bad roads and poor vehicle roadworthiness
At least eight people were killed in a truck accident in the south of the country in July 2021.
In a post on Facebook, the head of Chad's ruling junta, Mahamat Idriss Deby, expressed his condolence for the bereaved relatives.
“Deadly road accidents are continuing in our country because of irresponsible behaviour and other failures on the public highway,“ he said.
“The ministry of transport should fully its embrace its responsibilities in this regard and uphold life-saving highway regulations.” - AFP
