32 killed in head-on crash between 2 buses on Nigeria highway The USA Times

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Saturday, May 19, 2012

32 killed in head-on crash between 2 buses on Nigeria highway

BAUCHI, Nigeria - Authorities in Nigeria say 32 people have been killed in a head-on crash between two buses.

Zakariyya Mamman of the Federal Road Safety Commission said the crash happened Thursday in the northern state of Bauchi. Mamman said the buses collided when trying to speed through a work zone on a highway.

Mamman said the buses caught fire after the crash.

Car crashes are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads. Drivers often travel at high speed and overtake slower vehicles, leading to such head-on collisions and high death rates. Even main cities are linked by pitted, two-lane roads crammed with passenger buses, trucks laden with goods and rickety private vehicles.

The World Health Organization has said Nigeria is the third worst country for traffic fatalities behind China and India.