Bamako: More than 20 people have died and 16 have been badly injured in a head-on crash Tuesday between a minibus and a lorry in Mali, the government said.
###
“A serious traffic accident occurred between a minibus and a lorry carrying sand” about 50 kilometres east of the capital Bamako, a statement said.
###
An “initial toll” put the number of dead at 23, with 16 people seriously injured, it said.
###
“According to initial accounts, a tyre on the minibus blew out, causing the vehicle to swerve into the path of the lorry coming the other way. The head-on collision was very violent,” the government added.
###
It offered its condolences and reminded transport operators to follow the rules of the road and maintain their vehicles properly.
###
“The shock was so violent that there is nothing left of the minibus… several people are in hospital, hanging between life and death,” said a Mali Red Cross worker, Oumar Sylla.