Chad bus smash leaves 'around 30' dead

Around 30 people were killed and some 50 more injured when two buses collided in central Chad, the Sahel country's transport ministry said. The accident happened overnight on Sunday when a passenger bus coming from the capital N'Djamena collided with a bus from Abeche, the country's third-largest town, the ministry said. Abdelaziz Hisseine, secretary of the department (county) of Batha West, put the toll at 33 dead and 54 injured. "All of the injured have been taken to Abeche," said Hisseine. The ministry statement said an inquiry had been launched. Fatal traffic accidents are frequent in Chad, a vast semi-desert country, typically caused by excessive speed, bad roads and poor vehicle roadworthiness. - AFP