Thirty one people have died after a bus flipped over and plunged off a bridge in Mali on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The bus had been en route to neighbouring Burkina Faso from the Malian town of Kenieba when it veered off a bridge crossing the Bagoe river.<\/p>\n
At least ten others were injured – some suffering serious injuries.<\/p>\n
Local officials said the likely cause was “the driver’s failure to control the vehicle”.<\/p>\n
The accident happened at around 17:00 local time (17:00 GMT).<\/p>\n
“A bus… that was leaving Kenieba commune for Burkina Faso tipped off a bridge. The likely cause is the driver losing control of the vehicle,” the transport ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
It added that the victims included Malians and citizens from other regions in West Africa.<\/p>\n
Road accidents are common in Mali because of the poor condition of many roads and vehicles, as well as overloaded and poorly regulated public transportation.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, 15 people were killed and 46 were injured after a bus heading towards the capital Bamako collided with a truck, according to AFP news agency.<\/p>\n