Fatal Sierra Leone road crash kills 18

The scene of the deadly crash. KEMO CHAM 

At least 18 people have been killed in one of the worst road accidents in Sierra Leone this year.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, in a remote area to the country's north, some 180 km from the capital Freetown.

The truck involved in the accident was traveling from the capital city to the diamond-rich district of Kono, according to local media reports.

Police sources said 16 women, one man and a three-month-old baby died in the crash.

Between 30 and 36 passengers, mostly women, were on board the vehicle, sources say.

The vehicle was also packed with goods, and the dead were all on the back of the truck.

Freetown daily, Premier News, cited sources who said at some point in the journey some passengers were arguing with the driver over drinking and driving.

Other witnesses, the paper added, said the driver fell asleep and in the process lost control right on top of a hill, causing the vehicle to accelerate backwards and plunge into a ditch.

Until Friday night the driver of the vehicle and his assistant were said to be at large having fled the scene of the accident.

Reckless driving and overloading, coupled with bad roads, have fuelled road accidents in Sierra Leone.

As a routine, large vehicles are allowed to ply the roads only at night when the traffic is low. But at that time of the night police are not thorough in their checking, leaving drivers entirely at liberty.

It is common to see vehicles without any lights along the highway, putting commuters at increased risk of accident.

The head of the Sierra Leone Police traffic division, Superintendent Ambrose Sovula, said Friday they were still investigating the accident and promised to release the findings on Saturday.