20 dead in River Nile horror smash, mine collapse

Two separate accidents in River Nile state claimed 20 lives on Tuesday; 10 people died when a mine shaft collapsed in El Ashar Valley, while a horrific collision on the road from Khartoum to Atbara left at least 10 dead and many injured.

Badr El Din Hussein told Radio Dabanga that the first accident occurred on Tuesday evening in the mining area of El Ashar Valley. The victims of the mine shaft are all from Umm Siyala area in North Kordofan state, Hussein says.

In the second deadly accident, also on Tuesday evening, an intermediate transport vehicle collided with a lorry on the national road between Atbara and Khartoum, south of Damer. Hussein said that the victims were mostly people who were travelling to see their families for the national holiday on Wednesday.

Hussein says that the bodies of the victims were transferred to the Atbara mortuary. Most were buried in the Atbara and Damer cemeteries on Wednesday, while the remains of four victims are still in the mortuary as their next-of-kin have yet to be traced and informed.