Nearly 30 die in traffic accidents during annual Senegal pilgrimage

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Nearly 30 people died in road traffic accidents during Senegal's yearly Grand Magal pilgrimage in which members of a Sufi Muslim order converge on the holy city of Touba, officials said Saturday.

The number of road-related deaths was up precipitously from 2024, when 16 people died, the National Fire Brigade said in a statement.

The Grand Magal is celebrated by the Sufi Mouride brotherhood and attracts a few million people to the central-western city to commemorate French colonial authorities' 1895 exiling of the group's leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba.

Usually, more than a dozen people die over the course of the celebration, according to local media.

The Grand Magal is one of the most important dates on the religious calendar in Senegal, and involves reciting Bamba's poems and praying by his tomb.

This year marks the 131st observance of the pilgrimage. Followers honor the occasion by visiting the Great Mosque of Touba and the tomb of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba to perform prayers and pay their respects. (Photo by CEM OZDEL / Anadolu via AFP)

Overall, a total of 33 deaths occurred related to this year's Grand Magal, which was celebrated last Tuesday and Wednesday, said Yatma Dieye, head of the National Fire Brigade's public relations division.

The Brigade tended to 341 road accidents and seven fire emergencies, he said. It additionally cared for 571 medical patients.

Dieye added that a total of 2,685,000 litres (709,300 gallons) of water was distributed to pilgrims and the public.

Authorities attributed this year's rise in traffic deaths to speeding and "imprudent" driving behaviours on roads made slippery from rain.