13 killed, dozens injured in Ivory Coast road accident

Thirteen people have been killed and 45 injured in a road accident in northern Ivory Coast, after a tanker truck crashed into a bus, rescuers and local media said Saturday. (X/@LucaVaran)
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Updated 07 September 2024
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13 killed, dozens injured in Ivory Coast road accident

  • A bus carrying passengers and a petrol-filled truck on the opposite lane collided
  • “The collision between the bus and the tanker set off a fire of terrifying intensity,” leaving “13 bodies charred” by the flames, Police Secours wrote

ABIDJAN: Thirteen people have been killed and 45 injured in a road accident in northern Ivory Coast, after a tanker truck crashed into a bus, rescuers and local media said Saturday.
A bus carrying passengers and a petrol-filled truck on the opposite lane collided on Friday where the road’s width had been narrowed by a freight truck parked without indicators, said Police Secours, a platform monitoring deadly accidents in the country.
The vehicles crashed around 2300 GMT on the highway between Bouake and Korhogo, two large cities in northern Ivory Coast.
“The collision between the bus and the tanker set off a fire of terrifying intensity,” leaving “13 bodies charred” by the flames, Police Secours wrote.
The Ivorian Press Agency (AIP) confirmed the toll which included 19 injured children rushed to hospitals in the nearby cities of Katiola and Niakara.
Deadly accidents are frequent in the Ivory Coast due to many roads and cars in poor condition and reckless driving.
The country in 2023 introduced a point-based driver’s license granting each driver a total of 12 points that can be gradually taken away depending on the violation.
Ivorian authorities have also set up cameras on the country’s main roads to fine offenders.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 people are killed every year in road accidents in the Ivory Coast, according to the transport ministry.


Albanese tells Australia to ‘turn the heat down’ after bomb threat

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Albanese tells Australia to ‘turn the heat down’ after bomb threat

  • Australian prime ‌minister evacuated from his residence in Canberra late on Tuesday following a security threat
SYDNEY: Australian Prime ‌Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday he did not take his security for granted, after he was evacuated from his residence for several hours following an alleged bomb threat.
Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra late on Tuesday following a security threat, and returned a few hours later after nothing ‌suspicious was ‌found.
Police said there was no ‌ongoing ⁠threat.
“I think it’s ⁠just a reminder, take every opportunity to tell people, turn the heat down for goodness sake,” Albanese said at an event in Melbourne on Wednesday.
“We can’t take these things for ⁠granted.”
State broadcaster ABC said on ‌Wednesday the threat ‌was linked to Shen Yun, a classical ‌Chinese dance troupe banned in China that ‌is due to perform in Australia this month. The message sent to the group’s local organizers falsely claimed that explosives had been ‌placed around Albanese’s residence, and would detonate if the group performed ⁠in ⁠the country, the ABC reported.
Police declined to comment on the source of the threat.
New York-based Shen Yun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier on Wednesday Albanese posted on Instagram a photo of his dog standing by a door at The Lodge, his official residence in Canberra, with a caption thanking police for their work.