29 others wounded, some in life threatening condition
Borkena
Toronto – At least 31 passengers are dead after an Addis Ababa-bound bus plunged into a 170-meter-deep gorge along the Harego locality between Dessie and Kombolcha towns.
29 other passengers are injured. Some are reported to be light, while others are reportedly life-threatening ones. The driver was among the dead.
Emergency response was deployed to the area, according to sources from the area.
Some of them were taken to Dessie Referral Hospital. Others are taken to Kombolcha hospital, which is less than 10 kilometers from the scene of the tragedy.
Commander Berhanu Tessema, Traffic Police Inspection Union head of the Kombolcha administration, is cited as saying the cause of the accident is not yet determined.
The incident occurred around 6:30 local time. The bus was travelling from Dessie, seat of the South Wollo Administration in the Amhara region, to the capital Addis Ababa.
Tik Vah, a telegram channel for news outlets, quoted an eyewitness whose name is unspecified as saying, “I was traveling from Kemissie to Dessie. When we reach Harego, a serious accident has happened. There was a road closure as cars were stopped. When we got off the vehicle and watched, it was shocking and tough to express what had occurred.”
The eyewitness added that “there were many bodies. Some have slid down from the hill; some are in the bushes on the hill, others were rolled down and crossed the asphalt road [on the meandering road].”
Four passengers are alive with little to no injuries. Bodies of those pronounced dead at the scene were collected.
Traffic accidents have been increasing in numbers and intensity recently across the country despite government claims of tightening rules.
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