Road crash in Senegal kills 19: firefighters

Nineteen people were killed on Monday when a bus and a truck collided in northern Senegal, firefighters said, eight days after a smashup between two buses left 40 dead.

Twenty-four people were injured in Monday's accident, which occurred near Sakal in the Louga region, Papa Ange Michel Diatta, a colonel with the national firefighting service, told AFP.

Senegal was plunged into three days of mourning after two buses collided in the early morning of January 8 in the central region of Kaffrine, leaving 40 dead and more than 100 injured.

The government responded by banning night buses and outlawing the import of used tyres -- the suspected cause of the accident.

It also announced that the speed of vehicles transporting goods and people would be limited to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph).

Road accidents are common in the Senegal, mainly because of driver error, poor roads and decrepit vehicles, say experts.

According to the World Bank, Senegal, a country of 17 million, records 24 road deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants.

By comparison, the toll is six per 100,000 across the European Union and two in Switzerland, while the average across sub-Saharan Africa is 27.