- Title: IVORY COAST: Ivorian bus plunges into lagoon killing at least twelve passengers
- Date: 6th August 2011
- Summary: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (AUGUST 5, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESCUE BOAT ON LAGOON CARRYING DEAD BODIES, RESCUE TEAM WITH FRENCH AND U.N. SOLDIERS AS WELL AS FIREMEN VARIOUS OF RESCUE TEAM UNLOADING BODIES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING MORE OF BODY BEING UNLOADED FROM BOAT VARIOUS OF FIREMEN, RED CROSS PERSONNEL CARRYING BODIES ON STRETCHER (SOUNDBITE) (French) ADAMA COULIBALY, HEAD OF FIRE BRIGADE, SAYING: "We should pull out the whole bus, if not, taking out one body at a time will be a very lengthy process, we'll be at it until 6 pm." VARIOUS OF WORKERS PREPARING CRANE ON BRIDGE TO PULL OUT THE BUS FROM LAGOON, BUS IMPACT ON BRIDGE SEEN IN THE BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF GENDARMS BLOWING AIR INTO AN INFLATABLE BOAT, RESCUE PERSONNEL ON BOAT ON THE LAGOON VARIOUS OF HOUPHOUET BOIGNY BRIDGE / PEOPLE WATCHING THE SCENE FROM THE BRIDGE VARIOUS OF SOLDIER STANDING NEAR THE LAGOON, RESCUE TEAM SEEN SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM MEMBER DIVING VARIOUS OF RESCUE BOAT WITH BODIES, RESCUE TEAM WAITING ON SHORE RESCUE TEAM CARRYING BODY ON SRETCHER
- Embargoed: 21st August 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cote d'Ivoire
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA47DUB1VHLE6G7FTFFSJFC0UCL
- Story Text: A bus in Ivory Coast plunged into Abidjan's lagoon on Friday (August 5), killing at least 12 passengers, according to rescuers at the scene.
The Ivorian National TV put the death toll at 13, and said many more are expected to be still in the bus.
Colonel Coulibaly Adama, commander of the fire brigade, said emergency services would need to lift the bus out completely to facilitate the search and rescue team.
"We should pull out the whole bus, if not, taking out one body at a time will be a very lengthy process, we'll be at it until 6 pm," said Colonel Adama Coulibaly, the head of the Firefighter Brigade attached to Ivory Coast's military.
Other officials at the scene said the bus smashed into two cars on a bridge stretching over the lagoon in the West African nation's commercial capital, and was then sent hurtling over the edge.
A fireman at scene, who declined to be named, said 12 bodies had been pulled out of the lagoon, while nine people had survived and had been pulled from the wreckage, and are now being treated at hospital. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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