BFF-61 26 drown in boat accident in northwest Mali

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MALI-ACCIDENT

26 drown in boat accident in northwest Mali

BAMAKO, Mali, Oct 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Twenty-six people drowned when two
boats overturned in a swollen river in northwestern Mali, officials and local
residents said.

“Two canoes carrying 48 people capsized on Saturday at Arnassey in Bourem
Inaly district, in the Timbuktu region,” Transport Minister Soumana Mory
Coulibaly said in a statement released overnight Sunday.

“This sad accident caused the death of 26 people. Twenty-two bodies have
been recovered.”

A local resident, Martala Salley, told AFP that the passengers were
farmers who had decided to go to their fields by boat as the river had risen
from seasonal rain, which made water transport possible.

“The two boats capsized before they reached their destination,” said Yoro
Maiga, a local councillor in the neighbouring district of Dire, explaining
that winds had whipped up powerful currents.

“We were able to save some people — they weren’t weighed down by heavy
objects or luggage,” Maiga said.

Transport accidents in Mali, a poor landlocked state in the Sahel, are
common. Poor safety standards or equipment are typically cited as the main
cause.

Last month, 20 people died when the truck carrying them plunged into a
river in the centre of the country.

BSS/AFP/FI/ 2058 hrs