Death Toll in Ethiopia Traffic Accident Rises to 71

ADDIS ABABA:
A total of 71 people were killed when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river in the Sidama region in Ethiopia, said the regional police commission.

The accident occurred on Sunday when the truck was travelling from Bona to Bensa, resulting in the deaths of 68 men and three women. Those who survived the accident were being treated at nearby hospitals.

Despite a low per capita car ownership rate, deadly traffic accidents are relatively common in Ethiopia due to poor road conditions, reckless driving, a flawed driving license issuance system, and lax enforcement of safety regulations, Xinhua news agency reported.

On September 26, a total of 28 people were killed and 19 others were injured in a traffic accident in southern Ethiopia, the local media reported.

The deadly accident had occurred when a bus travelling from Wolaita Sodo to Dawro Zone overturned, local media reported, citing officials.

The injured had been receiving intensive medical treatment in nearby healthcare institutions, said the police, who warned that the death toll could increase.

Despite a low per capita car ownership rate, deadly traffic accidents have been relatively common in Ethiopia due to poor road conditions, reckless driving, a flawed driving licence issuance system, and lax enforcement of safety regulations.

Earlier on April 13, a traffic accident in Ethiopia’s central region of Oromia had killed at least 15 people, a local official said.

Kemal Aman, an official with the West Arsi Zone police department in the Oromia Region, had stated that the road accident occurred when a bus collided head-on with a truck travelling on the opposite side of the road, the state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

The injured had been treated in two nearby hospitals. The official also said negligent driving was the cause of the fatal traffic accident.

Although Ethiopia had one of the lowest per capita car ownership rates in the world, fatal traffic accidents were relatively common. The blame was often placed on bad roads, reckless driving, lax enforcement of safety rules, and a flawed system for issuing driving licences.

Xinhua news agency reported on February 28 that at least 1,358 people had died in traffic accidents in Ethiopia during the past six-month period, the Ethiopian government had disclosed.

State Minister for Ethiopia Government Communication Service, Selamawit Kassa, had told reporters that deadly traffic accidents had caused serious concern in the East African country.

In addition to the death toll during the first six months of the current 2023-2024 Ethiopian fiscal year, which had started on July 8, 2023, Kassa said that an additional 2,672 people had sustained serious injuries from accidents.

The country had thereby incurred over 1.9 billion Ethiopian birr ($33 million) in damages.

According to Kassa, studies have shown that drivers were to blame for more than 60 per cent of traffic accidents in the country.

Reports indicated that, with a growing economy and a rising middle class, the East African nation had recorded steady growth in vehicle numbers for the past several years.