BAMAKO, July 15 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and 84 others injured Tuesday when a truck overturned in central Mali's Bandiagara region, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Mali said Wednesday.
The truck, carrying freight and passengers, including Burkinabe refugees, overturned at around 2:00 p.m. local time on National Road 15 between Mdandoly and Songobia, the UNHCR said in a statement.
Six people died from their injuries, while 84 injured passengers were taken to a hospital in Bandiagara. Among them, 36 in critical condition were later transferred to Sevare, where greater medical treatment capacity is available.
The death toll remains provisional and may change as rescue, medical treatment and verification operations continue, the statement said.
Preliminary information showed that most of the passengers were Burkinabe nationals holding refugee certificates and were probably traveling to Ouahigouya in Burkina Faso.
For more than a year, the Bandiagara region has hosted the largest refugee population in Mali, most of them Burkinabes who fled insecurity in their home country, according to the UNHCR. ■