Ivory Coast minivan collision kills 20

Twenty people were killed when two minivans collided in southern Ivory Coast at the weekend, officials said on Monday.

Another 11 people were injured in the accident, which occurred on Sunday evening about 20 kilometres from the city of Gagnoa, the civil protection service (ONPC) said.

The provisional toll was confirmed by the health centre in the village of Ahziabre, where the crash occurred at around 7:30 pm (1930 GMT), it said.

Fatal road accidents are frequent in Ivory Coast due to the poor state of some roads and vehicles and to motorists who have not passed their driving test.

Between 1,000 and 1,500 people die on average per year in traffic accidents in Ivory Coast, where there are around 1.5 million vehicles in circulation, according to the transport ministry.

In September, 13 people were burnt to death when a car and a tanker collided in the north.

In recent years, the government has introduced a series of measures to reduce fatal accidents, including points on drivers’ licenses, a ban on importing cars over five years old, road maintenance and video cameras.