The blaze in Pingtung County broke out the same day that Typhoon Krathon made landfall in the island's south
Forty people were killed and 85 were injured when two buses crashed in a head-on collision overnight on an arterial road in Senegal's central Kaffrine region, the government said on Sunday.
Images of the incident showed the completely mangled front end of a white bus, with blood-flecked seats, personal items and a shoe strewn around the tree-lined crash site.
Road accidents are common in Senegal, largely because of driver error, poor roads and decrepit vehicles, say experts, but the latest disaster has caused one of the heaviest losses of life from a single incident in recent years.
In a statement, the government announced three days of national mourning beginning Monday, with flags to be flown at half-mast throughout the country.
President Macky Sall will visit the crash site just outside of the village of Sikilo on Sunday, it said.
"In view of this tragedy, the head of state extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," the government said.
Public prosecutor, Cheikh Dieng, said in a statement that early investigations suggested a public passenger bus suffered a burst tyre and swerved off course.
It then crashed "head-on with another bus coming in the opposite direction", he said.
The statement said the incident happened around 0330 GMT.
It is "a tragic accident," Kaffrine mayor Abdoulaye Saidu Sow, who is also the Minister of Urbanism, told AFP.
Speaking from Kaffrine, he said President Sall would be joined there by the prime minister and several other ministers on Sunday.
Opposition politician Ousmane Sonko announced on Twitter that he would postpone a scheduled fundraising program in light of the accident.
"We bow before the memory of the deceased, offer our very sincere condolences to their grieving loved ones and to all Senegalese and pray for the merciful rest of their souls as well as a speedy recovery for the injured", he said.
Colonel Cheikh Fall, who heads operations for the National Fire Brigade, told AFP the victims were taken to a hospital and medical centre in Kaffrine.
The wreckage has since been cleared and normal traffic has resumed on the road, he said.
The governor and local officials have visited the scene, he added.
In a tweet, President Sall said that after the period of national mourning finished, a government council will be held to "take firm measures on road safety".
In October 2020, at least 16 people were killed and 15 more injured when a bus collided with a refrigerated lorry in western Senegal.
The bus, with a 60-seat capacity, was heading to Rosso near the border with Mauritania, the fire brigade said, adding that the number of people onboard was unknown.
Local media said at the time that the truck was hauling fish to Dakar.
ALSO READ:
The blaze in Pingtung County broke out the same day that Typhoon Krathon made landfall in the island's south
Flights grounded, financial markets shut for second day
The 2024 race has seen more twists than a Hollywood blockbuster
Time is running out, Antonio Guterres told the 15-member Security Council
Ukraine now spends roughly half of its state budget — or about $40 billion — on defence
The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel
Teams of enumerators accompanied by soldiers and armed police went door to door in Yangon to fill in the 68-question survey
The debate is likely the final one of the 2024 presidential campaign, potentially giving it some extra weight ahead of the November 5 election