Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI): Bus-truck collision in Ethiopia’s Oromia region kills at least nine people, including 7 health workers, regional officials confirmed.
The accident occurred on Wednesday night near Welenchiti town in the East Shewa Zone of Ethiopia’s largest Oromia region when a passenger bus, primarily carrying health workers, collided with a cargo truck coming from the opposite direction, eventually killing nine people, the East Shewa Zone Communication disclosed in a statement issued Thursday.
Noting that seven of the casualties were health professionals, officials said the accident also left eight people with serious and minor injuries, including three with critical injuries. The injured are currently receiving medical treatment at nearby health facilities.
The passenger bus was carrying at least 28 health professionals, many of whom were said to be health professionals serving across various facilities in the region, who were en route to Haramaya University – about 510 km east of the capital Addis Ababa – for an educational improvement training program, it was noted.
In a statement issued following the accident, the Oromia Region Health Bureau expressed its “deep sorrow” over the tragedy, highlighting that the victims were dedicated to serving their community in various medical roles. It extended condolences to the families and colleagues of the deceased health workers, as well as to the general public, emphasizing the significant loss to a sector crucial to the community.
The crash is the latest in a series of deadly traffic accidents in the East African country, with the blame often put on reckless driving, lax enforcement of traffic laws, and poor road conditions.
In one of the worst road crashes in the country’s recent history, 71 people were killed in December 2024 when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river in the Sidama region in southern Ethiopia. Just a month later, in January 2025, a bus accident in the northern Amhara region also left at least 25 people dead and 29 injured.
(Photo Credit – East Shewa Zone Communication via Facebook)
