AL-MUKALLA: At least 13 people died in road accidents in two Yemeni provinces this week, the latest in a series of crashes that have claimed the lives of dozens of people in the country this year.
Security authorities in Dhamar province said 11 people were killed and six seriously injured when a bus and truck collided on the main road connecting the province with the capital, Sanaa. It was described as the deadliest accident of its kind in months.
A video shared on social media showed the covered bodies of the victims and their scattered belongings beside the wreckage of the bus, as first responders called for help. Police said it appeared that the truck had veered into the opposite lane and collided with the oncoming bus.
Comments on the post included messages of sympathy and sorrow over the deaths of the passengers, some of whom were said to be students who were returning from Dhamar to their home province of Taiz after sitting university entrance exams. Some of the comments called for roads be better maintained and expanded.
“This horrible incident brought to an end the story of young and aspirational men from the Shar’ab Al-Salam District, whose goals were to be admitted to a university,” wrote Salem Abdul Majeed, referring to the neighborhood in Taiz where the students lived.
On Tuesday, two people were killed and one injured when the vehicle they were traveling in overturned on the rugged and steep Haijat Al-Abed road in Taiz. The road is the only route connecting Taiz with the rest of the world that remains open. The city is under siege by the Houthis, who control the outskirts of the city and have kept key transport links closed for eight years in their attempts to take control of the city.
In addition to the thousands Yemenis killed as a direct result of fighting in the nine years since the war between the Houthis and government forces began, thousands more have died or been injured in road accidents across the country.
According to the most recent official figures, released by the Ministry of Interior last week, 25 people died and 108 were injured in 273 traffic accidents in government-controlled areas of Yemen last month alone. The ministry said the causes included a lack of vehicle and road maintenance, excessive speed, improper and hazardous overtaking, and vehicle problems, among other factors.
The Houthis last month said that in the previous three months, 344 people, including 51 women, were killed and 2,910, including 567 women, were injured in 2,333 traffic accidents in areas they control.
