Senegal has a high rate of traffic accidents, primarily as a result of deteriorating roads and automobiles.
The fire department said that a bus and a lorry collided in central Senegal, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and 22 injuries.
A fire brigade official who asked to remain anonymous stated that the incident happened on Monday at around 0600 GMT close to the village of Ndangalma.
Senegal has a high rate of road accidents, primarily as a result of bad road and vehicle maintenance, careless driving, and dishonest law enforcement and licensing officials.
In response to an increase in traffic accidents, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s administration pledged in August to take coordinated action.
El Malick Ndiaye, the minister of transportation, declared that roadside inspections will intensify and that fines would rise.
Additionally, he asked transport operators to respect working conditions, especially with regard to hours and exhaustion, train and increase awareness among personnel, and uphold vehicle standards.
Boat Mishap
A spokesperson for Senegal’s armed forces stated on Monday that in a different event that occurred over the weekend, a boat sank off the coast, resulting in the deaths of at least six persons.
The state station Radio Television Senegalaise (RTS) claimed late on Sunday that the boat, a thin, wooden fishing craft known as a pirogue, carrying about 100 migrants from the town of Mbour, capsized after only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of sailing.
According to RTS, four individuals were saved, but many more are still unaccounted for.
The spokeswoman for the armed services stated that on Monday, the navy would continue its search for the deceased and survivors by sending a plane and two boats.
A common migratory route is the boat ride from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands in Spain.
According to figures from the European Union border agency Frontex, the route has experienced a 154 percent spike this year, with 21,620 individuals landing in the Canary Islands in the first seven months.
