No fewer than thirty one people have been confirmed dead after a bus flipped over and plunged off a bridge in Mali on Tuesday, Africa Today News, New York.
The bus had been en route to neighbouring Burkina Faso from the Malian town of Kenieba when it veered off a bridge crossing the Bagoe river.
No fewer than ten others were injured – some suffering serious injuries.
Local officials said the likely cause was “the driver’s failure to control the vehicle”.
The accident happened at around 17:00 local time (17:00 GMT).
“A bus… that was leaving Kenieba commune for Burkina Faso tipped off a bridge. The likely cause is the driver losing control of the vehicle,” the transport ministry said in a statement.
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It added that the victims included Malians and citizens from other regions in West Africa.
Road accidents are common in Mali because of the poor condition of many roads and vehicles, as well as overloaded and poorly regulated public transportation.
Earlier this month, 15 people were killed and 46 were injured after a bus heading towards the capital Bamako collided with a truck, according to reports.
In another report, no fewer than 70 people have been confirmed dead in southwest Mali after an artisanal gold mine collapsed last week, officials have confirmed.
Africa Today News, New York reports that this is the latest disaster in a region prone to mining accidents.
Karim Bethe, a senior National Geology and Mining Directorate official, shared the details with The Associated Press on Wednesday, calling it an accident.
An official for gold miners in the southwestern town of Kangaba, as well as a local councillor whose name was given as Oumar Sidibe, a confirmed the death toll to reporters on Thursday morning