Ten dead in Senegal road crash as Ramadan ends

At least 10 people were killed in a crash between a bus and a truck in northern Senegal, authorities said Tuesday, at a time when many Muslim faithful are on the move as the holy month of Ramadan ends.

According to the local fire service chief, the accident happened around 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint-Louis, the main city in northern Senegal near the Mauritanian border.

It left 10 dead and 17 injured, "five of them seriously", fire chief Bobo Diallo told AFP.

Medical sources in Saint-Louis suggested the toll could be higher, putting the number of dead at 11, including a two-year-old child.

Local media said that the bus was carrying merchants who were travelling to Saint-Louis to stock up for the Eid al-Fitr festival, which follows the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The reports said the bus collided with a truck transporting onions.

Some 90 percent of Senegal's population are Muslims, predominantly following moderate Sufi brotherhoods, and the West African country is often referred to as a bastion of tolerance and stability.

Eid, which is called Korite in Senegal, was celebrated on Tuesday by some orders and will be marked later in the week by others.

The country's road networks see frequent accidents, particularly during religious festivals when large numbers of people are on the move.