Scores plunge to death in lorry accident

Up to 65 people were killed in Guinea when an overloaded lorry overturned.

The lorry was carrying merchandise, as well as people, back from a local market near the remote town of Gueckedou in the south east of the country when yesterday’s accident occurred, state-run RTG radio said.

As it was crossing a bridge, the lorry tipped, sending people as well as bags of cement and sacks of rice crashing into the river.

Many of the dead drowned, suffocated under the merchandise, RTG said.

At least 20 people were wounded and were being cared for at a nearby hospital.

Guinea, a country of 10 million on Africa’s West Coast is deeply impoverished despite having half the world’s supply of bauxite – the raw material used to make aluminium – as well as iron ore, gold and diamonds.

Unable to afford the price of a bus ticket, many Guineans prefer to hitch rides on crowded lorries carrying bags of goods.