Thirteen people who were bound for a pilgrimage in the holy sity if Touba in central Senegal have died in road accidents on Wednesday.
By Ibrahima Dione
Since Monday, thousands of people have been traveling to the holy city where the ‘Magal’ or departure into exile of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride brotherhood will be commemorated on Thursday.
Speaking on the private Radio Futures Medias (RFM), Commander Diagne, communications officer of the Fire Brigade Intervention Section dispatched to Touba (186 km from Dakar), said there were 55 accidents resulting in 215 victims, including 13 deaths.
In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday alone, a collision between a truck and a bus locally known as ‘Ndiaga Ndiaye’ on the Ila Touba highway reportedly left six people dead.
In 2018, 13 deaths were recorded at the end of the Magal, which is the biggest Muslim pilgrimage in Senegal.
Millions of disciples, residing in Senegal and abroad, converge annually to the religious city to commemorate the departure into exile of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, which corresponds to the “18 Safar” of the Muslim calendar, which fall on October 17 this year.
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