Ivory Coast: 21 dead in a road accident

21 people have died in an accident involving a coach, a public transport minicab and a motorcyclist on the Gagnoa-Soubré road in south-west Ivory Coast, the Ivorian Ministry of Transport announced.

“A dozen injured were evacuated and treated in the emergency department of the Gagnoa Regional Hospital,” the reports said.

“According to witnesses, it was one of the two vehicles that avoided the motorcyclist and came face to face with the other”, said Samou Diawara, head of the Ministry’s Communications Department.

Fatal accidents are a frequent occurrence in Ivory Coast, due to the poor condition of many vehicles and the incivism of some drivers.

Prior to this accident, the National Safety Council, meeting on Thursday October 17, 2024, had reported a drop of around 31% in the number of traffic accidents, from 1,833 in June 2024 to 1,403 in September 2024.

The reform of the driver’s license, the introduction of breathalyser tests and video tagging have all contributed to this reduction.