LUBUMBASHI (DR Congo), Sept 29 (NNN-NAMPA) — Thirty-four people, including 16 children, died when a freight truck driven by a drunk driver overturned on a hill in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said.
The truck, loaded with a minibus, goods and 93 passengers, was unable to climb a hill and turned over around 6.30pm on Monday evening, killing 33 people instantly. One person later died in hospital., said Celestine Lundanda Panga, administrator of the Lubudi territory in Lualaba province.
The total death toll was “nine men, nine women and 16 minors – 10 girls and six boys”, while 37 others were injured. 22 more escaped unhurt, including the driver.
Panga said the driver was drunk. “He had bottles of heavy alcohol in his cabin. I ordered his arrest,” he added, attributing the accident to “driving under the influence of alcohol” and poor road conditions.
The truck departed from Mbuji-Mayi in the central province of Kasai-Oriental and was heading towards Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba.
According to Déodat Kapenda, Lualaba’s provincial minister, the government treated the injured and also promised to “take severe measures against truck and train drivers, who are the cause of repeated fatal accidents in the province”.
Road accidents are frequent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, often caused by ignoring traffic rules, with old vehicles not subjected to technical inspections.
The vast majority of roads in the country are just dirt tracks and drivers are often poorly trained or drunk. — NNN-NAMPA
