Angola recorded 48 deaths and 159 injuries over the last weekend, across a total of 84 road accidents — the second leading cause of death in the country — Angolan police authorities announced today.
According to the head of the Traffic Violations, Accidents and Expert Assessment Department of the Traffic and Road Safety Directorate, superintendent João de Sousa, the provinces of Luanda, Cuanza Sul, Uíje and Benguela led the accident tallies.
Speaking to Rádio Nacional de Angola, João de Sousa said that of the total number of injured, 66 are hospitalised in serious condition.
“We recorded 48 deaths — an increase of 30 compared to the previous weekend — and 159 injured, an increase of 79, of whom 66 are in a serious clinical condition, following 84 accidents,” he said.
The official added that the main causes of the accidents were speeding, poor vehicle condition and driver negligence.
“We regard driver drowsiness as one of the main causes — there are drivers who travel at night for long hours without observing rest periods, which is why we are recording these accidents,” he stressed.
On Saturday, an accident involving a bus carrying 56 passengers caused 24 deaths and 21 injuries after the vehicle — travelling from Huambo province to the Angolan capital Luanda — veered off the road and overturned.
According to João de Sousa, authorities will redouble “all road prevention and safety measures,” particularly inspections of passenger transport companies operating interprovincial routes to assess the legal qualifications of their drivers.
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In Angola, road accidents are the second leading cause of death after malaria. Statistics published in 2024 by the National Road Traffic Directorate showed that Angola had recorded 31,521 deaths, 147,670 injuries and 133,996 road accidents over the previous ten years.
