Since Monday, yesterday, more than a dozen people lost their lives, dozens more injured in two separate vehicle collisions on the road connecting the capital of the Republic of Somaliland, Hargeisa, to the busy red Sea port of Berbera.
The first collision involved three vehicles two of whom were public transport mini-buses heading for the eastern regions of Somaliland and Puntland.
A water-tanker speeding towards the capital crashed head-on with the first bus belonging to Yasmin transportation company. Then the other bus, belonging to another public transport company – SKY, collided with the tangled, careening vehicles as the driver had no time to veer away from the horrible collision happening yards away in front of him.
The accident happened not far from the eastern police checkpoint of Hargeisa.
The second accident happened Tuesday when a truck of the type Somalis call Candho-maydle collided with a bus carrying travelers – again to eastern destinations.
In the latter incident, 3 female passengers and 5 men died instantly. the injured, a number of them critically were rushed to Berbera and Hargeisa hospitals.
The crash happened in the Lafaruug area – 54 kilometers west of Berbera.
Despite the repeated calls of the Somaliland traffic police, the police Command, local councils, clerics and the central government against speeding – the cause of more than 80% of fatal accidents, Somaliland is seeing an increasing number of high-cost accidents accounting for the loss of hundreds if not thousands of lives on a yearly basis.
Speaking of Monday’s costly accident, the Somaliland Police Commander, Major-General Abdullahi Fadal Iman, issues a stern warning to drivers promising maximum penalty for errant drivers.
And then, there was today.
Saddened by the devastating accidents, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Musa Bihi Abdi, condoled the the victims” families, wishing the injured a.speedy recovery.
