14 Dead 35 Injured in Moroccan Bus Crash

A head-on collision between two buses killed 14 people and injured 35 in southern Morocco yesterday (Thursday).

The accident occurred in the morning just outside Tinghir, some 420 kilometers south of the capital Rabat, a local government source said, requesting anonymity.

The injured were taken to a hospital in the southern town of Ouarzazate, the source said, adding that the death toll could rise because seven of the injured were in critical condition.

“The cause of the accident seems to be fatigue [of the drivers] and excessive speed,” the official added.

Moroccan roads are among the most dangerous in the world. More than 4,000 people died in traffic accidents in the country in 2009, according to official statistics.

The timing of the accident was bad news for the Government who had just announced a drop in fatal crash numbers for the previous year. The death toll from road accidents in Morocco dropped by 6.53% in 2010 compared to 2009.

According to statistics of the Transport and Equipment Ministry, 3,778 people were killed in 65461 road accidents in 2010.

The number of seriously and slightly injured individuals decreased by 8.53% and 3.55% respectively.