at least 40 dead 78 people were injured when two buses collided this Sunday. Senegal has ordered three days of nationwide mourning, officials said.

An accident happened near the town Shikiro It was reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at around 03:30 local time on National Highway 1 in the Kafrin region, more than 200 kilometers southeast of the capital Dakar.

“According to the first element of the judicial police investigation, buses connected to public passenger transport after tire puncture left the track before colliding head-on with another bus coming in the opposite direction,” prosecutors said in a statement.

After the serious accident, Senegalese President Macky Sall said: national mourning 3 days from January 9th.

“On the same day, an inter-ministerial council will be held to take firm measures regarding road safety and public passenger transport,” Sal added on his Twitter social network account.

According to local media, a bus from Tambacounda (south) to Dakar had a tire burst, while another wrecked vehicle had come from the capital and was on its way to Velingala.