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At least 33 people died on the night of Sunday February 27 to Monday February 28 in Chad in a road accident involving two passenger coaches. Traffic accidents are relatively frequent and deadly in Chad.
With our correspondent in Ndjamena, Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula
The photos posted on social networks bear witness to the violence of the shock. We see a gutted bus, the canvas sunken and the seats ejected. This tragedy occurred around 9 p.m. in the center of the country. Two passenger buses collided on the road linking Oum Hadjer and Mangalmé.
A total of 33 passengers died according to the authorities and 54 others were injured and evacuated to the hospital in Abeché in serious but stable condition, said a medical source on site.
2,650 deaths per year on Chadian roads
In their testimonies, some survivors speak of speeding and drivers sleeping at the wheel. Others say that one of the buses swerved onto the track to overtake a horse-drawn cart.
The exact reasons for this tragedy therefore remain to be defined. An investigation has been opened by the Ministry of Transport. Minister Fatima Goukouni Weedeye affirms that she will go to the scene of the accident with a delegation to ascertain the facts and discuss with the authorities. Every year in Chad, the roads kill an average of 2,650 people according to the authorities.
In a message broadcast on social networks, the president of the transition, Mahamat Idriss Déby affirmed that traffic accidents are deadly because ” irresponsible behavior and other breaches on the public highway ».
