Thirteen people were killed and at least 30 more injured on Monday when a military transport truck flipped over on a major road in the Sierra Leone capital, a military spokesman said.

FREETOWN: Thirteen people were killed and at least 30 more injured on Monday when a military transport truck flipped over on a major road in the Sierra Leone capital, a military spokesman said.

The open-air truck was carrying more than 40 soldiers from their barracks to a funeral in Freetown when its brakes failed as it descended a steep hill. It toppled over and slid for more than 30 metres, Captain Yaya Brima said. Eight soldiers were among the dead.

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"This is a real tragedy for us," he said by telephone. "We're currently investigating what could have happened to have caused one of our own vehicles to have failed in such a catastrophic way."

(Reporting by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Tim Cocks) </s> FREETOWN (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed and at least 30 more injured on Monday when a military transport truck flipped over on a major road in the Sierra Leone capital, a military spokesman said.

The open-air truck was carrying more than 40 soldiers from their barracks to a funeral in Freetown when its brakes failed as it descended a steep hill. It toppled over and slid for more than 30 meters, Captain Yaya Brima said. Eight soldiers were among the dead.

“This is a real tragedy for us,” he said by telephone. “We’re currently investigating what could have happened to have caused one of our own vehicles to have failed in such a catastrophic way.” </s> FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone's defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the capital, Freetown.

A soldier with the ministry, Unisa Conteh, said late Monday that seven soldiers and three civilians were killed. He said the truck had been transporting mourners to the Military War Graves cemetery to attend the burial of a military staff sergeant who died over the weekend in a road accident.

This latest crash is among the country's most deadly road accidents in recent years. </s> The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

This content was published on October 1, 2018 7:43 PM

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed and at least 30 more injured on Monday when a military transport truck flipped over on a major road in the Sierra Leone capital, a military spokesman said. The open-air truck was carrying more than 40 soldiers from their barracks to a funeral in Freetown when its brakes failed as it descended a steep hill. It toppled over and slid for more than 30 metres, Captain Yaya Brima said. Eight soldiers were among the dead. "This is a real tragedy for us," he said by telephone. "We're currently investigating what could have happened to have caused one of our own vehicles to have failed in such a catastrophic way." Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox. </s> FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the…

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the capital, Freetown.

A soldier with the ministry, Unisa Conteh, said late Monday that seven soldiers and three civilians were killed. He said the truck had been transporting mourners to the Military War Graves cemetery to attend the burial of a military staff sergeant who died over the weekend in a road accident.

This latest crash is among the country’s most deadly road accidents in recent years.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Eleven people died and dozens more were injured when a Sierra Leone army vehicle overturned on a hill in the capital Freetown, the military said Tuesday the day after the accident.

The army truck had been heading for a funeral service for a soldier who recently died when the accident happened in mid-afternoon, on one of the hills that surround the centre of Freetown.

"I was burying my cousin and just got news that my sister was involved in an accident on their way to the funeral," Mabinty Kamara said at the military war grave, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Eight soldiers and three civilians have been confirmed dead," while 70 others were injured, the army said in a statement citing its medical chief Stephen Sevalie.

Of the injured, 57 remain in the Freetown military hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe, the statement added. They have been visited there by government officials.

An investigation has been opened into the incident. </s> Several soldiers and civilians lost their lives this afternoon, when a military vehicle carrying the remains of a dead soldier for burial at the military cemetery, lost control and somersaulted along Spur Road in Lumley, the far west of Freetown.

It is not yet clear what caused the accident, but Spur Road is said to be notoriously known for fatal accidents.

Unconfirmed reports put the number of soldiers killed at 7, with more than 6 civilians feared dead or critically injured.

Hundreds of people are killed every year on the roads in Sierra Leone, with speeding – reckless driving and lack of vehicle maintenance very often cited as the most common cause.

This evening there are calls for strict enforcement of road traffic regulations and spot checks of vehicle maintenance certificates by the police.

But with bribery, corruption and lawlessness at the centre of human existence in Sierra Leone, it is almost impossible to expect any improvement anytime soon.

Many of the eyewitnesses at today’s scene of the fatal accident, say that the military truck had careered off the road, ploughing into dozens of pedestrians on the crowded footpath and somersaulted, after its brakes had failed.

Eyewitness accounts say that there were no emergency services on sight for over thirty minutes after the accident, to rescue the injured to hospital as motorists and bystanders performed improvised first-aid. Sierra Leone’s ambulance service is almost non-existent. </s> FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed when a mudslide struck the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital on Monday, Vice President Victor Foh said.

The Red Cross put the number of bodies so far at the central morgue in the capital, Freetown, at 179.

Earlier, an official at the morgue at Connaught Hospital in Freetown said it had received 70 bodies and police and soldiers were bringing in more.

The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are recovered, Red Cross spokesman Abu Bakarr Tarawallie said.

"It is likely that hundreds are lying dead underneath the rubble," Foh said the mountain town of Regent. He said a number of illegal buildings had been erected in the area.

"The disaster is so serious that I myself feel broken," he said. "We're trying to cordon the area. Evacuate the people."

Mudslides and floods are fairly common during the rainy season in West Africa, where deforestation and poor town planning has put residents at risk. </s> Some 78 people were killed and dozens more were injured when an overloaded truck crashed along an isolated road in Central African Republic, a doctor at the hospital said on Wednesday.

"At the moment, we have counted 78 dead and 72 wounded. Some wounded were taken directly to their homes from the accident scene and died there some time after, but most died here," said Chamberlain Bama, chief doctor at the university hospital in the town of Bambari. The accident occurred on Tuesday. (Reporting by Crispen Dembassa-Kette, writing by Joe Bavier, editing by G Crosse)
Thirteen people are killed and at least 30 others are injured when a military transport truck flips over on a major road in Freetown, Sierra Leone.