A tanker truck collided with a bus in northern Ivory Coast, leaving 13 people dead and 44 others injured, officials confirmed Saturday.
The crash occurred Friday night on the highway between Bouake and Korhogo, two major cities in the north of the country.
The road had been narrowed by a parked freight truck without warning indicators, according to Police Secours, an accident monitoring platform.
The impact between the bus and the tanker truck sparked a severe fire, which intensified the disaster, Police Secours reported.
The death toll and details of the crash were corroborated by the Ivorian Press Agency and state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirienne.
Road accidents are a recurring issue in Ivory Coast, where poor road conditions and reckless driving contribute to over 1,000 deaths annually, according to the Transportation Ministry.
In response to the rising accidents, the government introduced a point-based driver’s license system last year. Cameras were also installed on major highways to monitor and penalize traffic violations.
Authorities continue to investigate the causes of Friday’s crash as they urge drivers to be cautious on the nation’s roads.
