MALI: 24 passengers killed in landmine blast

The number of people killed after a vehicle drove over a landmine in central Mali has increased to 24, local residents have told the news agency AFP. The army had earlier put the figure at 13, according to Reuters news agency. But Abdoulaye Cheick, who lost a child in the blast, told AFP: “The final […]

The number of people killed after a vehicle drove over a landmine in central Mali has increased to 24, local residents have told the news agency AFP.

The army had earlier put the figure at 13, according to Reuters news agency.

But Abdoulaye Cheick, who lost a child in the blast, told AFP: “The final number is 24, including four babies with their mothers. They are no survivors.”

The vehicle was travelling from Burkina Faso to a weekly market when tragedy struck on Thursday. Malian security sources blamed the attack near the town of Boni on “terrorists”.

According to local official Mahmoud Traore those killed included Malian and Burkinabe residents. This is not the first time a civilian bus has hit a mine.

In November, five civilians were killed when the bus they were travelling in hit a mine. No group has said it was responsible, though Islamist and Tuareg insurgents remain active in the region.