Ethiopia bus crash as a minimum of 31 killed and 33 injured after plummeting into ravine
A passenger bus travelling from Dessie to Addis Ababa plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region, killing at least 31 people and injuring 33 others, police say
At least 31 people have died and 33 others were injured(Image: Amhara Communications)
At least 31 individuals have tragically lost their lives and a further 33 have been injured after a bus plummeted into a ravine in Ethiopia, according to police reports.
The bus, which was involved in the crash in the northern Amhara region, was en route from Dessie to the capital city, Addis Ababa, as reported by broadcaster Amhara Media Corporation.
Commander Getachew Muhiye confirmed that the accident took place this morning in an area leading to Kombolcha, as per a statement released by the regional government’s communication bureau. The vehicle tumbled off a cliff, resulting in the death of 31 people, including the driver, and leaving 33 others with varying degrees of injuries, Mr Muhiye informed state media.
The death toll had initially been reported as 28.
He added that the victims are currently receiving treatment in Dessie and Kombolcha hospitals.
Images shared online by the government body depict an S-shaped stretch of road, referred to as Harego “S”, where the accident is said to have occurred, alongside a wrecked bus.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
It comes after a heavily pregnant woman lost her baby after a car being pursued by police crashed into the vehicle carrying her and her partner in a devastating late-night crash in South London.
The tragic incident took place at around 11.30pm on Saturday on Lewisham Way in New Cross after officers spotted a vehicle displaying suspected cloned number plates and attempted to stop it. Police said the driver failed to pull over and that a pursuit was authorised. During the chase, the suspect’s vehicle collided with another car being driven by a man in his 20s. His heavily pregnant partner, also in her 20s, was travelling in the passenger seat.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, with paramedics, firefighters and police officers working to help those involved, and the female victim was taken to hospital for urgent treatment. Despite the efforts of medical staff, their baby sadly died.
The woman remains in hospital, where her condition is understood to be stable and not life-threatening. The father-to-be suffered minor injuries.
The suspected driver, a 29-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle, failing to stop and possession of Class A drugs.
He was also taken to hospital with injuries that police said were not life-threatening. Neither the names of the victim nor the suspected driver have been made public.
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