At least 34 young Christians have died and many others are injured after their bus crashed late on Monday night. The crash happened in Ankazobe, 44 miles north-west of Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo.
Spokesperson for the Madagascar Police Force, Andilaratiana Andrianarisaona, said that the bus driver misjudged a steep climb, failed to change gear and caused the bus to fall 20m (65ft) into a ravine before rolling several times and catching fire. Badly burned bodies were removed from the site after the late-night crash, and hospitals confirmed further fatalities during the night.
The double-decker bus was transporting Christians, mostly youths, to a national Christian youth gathering. 140 people had been crammed into the bus, all members of the “Scouts” and a Christian Youth Association known as “STK”. They were on their way to a STK’s national youth gathering at Mahajanga.
The president and his wife met grieving parents at the hospital to offer their condolences and to comfort the victim’s families. Christian Charity, ‘Made in Compassion’, have started a collection for the families affected and if you would like to donate you can do so here. Let’s do what we can to help these families, already in great need, to support them through this terrible tragedy, in prayer and with our finances.
Louise Carter
