22 killed in Mali minibus accident

Twenty-two people were killed and 21 were wounded in southern Mali on Tuesday when a minibus collided with a dump truck, the transport ministry said.

The accident occurred around 9 am on a national highway linking the town of Kangaba near the border with Guinea to Bancoumana farther north in the West African country.

The ministry said in a statement that 19 people were killed at the site of the crash, according to a provisional tally, and that seven of the wounded passengers were badly injured.

The injured were taken to a hospital in the capital Bamako.

“The reasons behind the accident are excessive speed and non-respect of road rules,” the ministry said.

Road accidents are a regular occurrence in Mali, where the poor state of the motorways has been a source of social tension.

Twenty people were killed on May 20 after a minibus and lorry collided in the south of the country.

Travelling by road is still the principal means of transport for people and goods in the landlocked Sahel nation of some 20 million people.