At least 20 dead in crash between bus, truck in Chad

DOUALA, Cameroon

At least 20 people have died in the Central African country of Chad after a bus crashed into a truck, while seven were injured, local authorities said.

The accident occurred around midnight on Thursday when a local travel agency bus carrying 31 people left the capital N'djamena for the eastern city of Abeche, colliding with the truck in the town of Oum-Hadjer about 140 kilometers (87 miles) to its destination, the Transport Ministry said in a statement.

Eighteen of the victims died on the spot, while two succumbed to their injuries later at the hospital in Abeche on Friday morning, said the ministry, adding that two of those wounded remain "in critical condition."

An initial investigation suggests that the accident was caused by failure to comply with road safety rules in case of vehicle breakdown on the road, as well as "speeding, overloading of the heavy vehicle, fatigue and carelessness of the driver," said Transport Minister Fatima Goukouni Weddeye, who underlined that "strong measures" would be taken against offenders.

Road accidents claim a yearly average of more than 3,000 deaths in Chad, along with over $160 million in losses, due to the poor state of the roads, human error, and failure to comply with the regulations, according to the Ministry of Transport.