16 killed in traffic accident in Sudan

Khartoum : At least 16 people were killed and four others injured in a traffic accident on Monday in Sudan's North Darfur state, media reports said.

The accident happened on the Western Salvation road to the east of El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, when a mini vehicle collided with a passenger bus coming from the opposite direction, Xinhua reported.

Sudan is among countries of the highest death rates in traffic accidents, mainly due to careless driving, crumbling roads and poor vehicle scrapping system.

Citizens complain about poor road conditions, while the Ministry of Roads and Bridges attributes the accidents to overloaded trucks and high speed.

Sudan's Interior Ministry recently said it was working out new plans to reduce traffic accidents, including installation of radars to monitor speed on the country's highways.