Thirty killed in truck crash in Central African Republic

At least 30 people were killed when an truck carrying oil and laden with passengers plunged into a ravine in Central African Republic, a local official said on Saturday.

The accident took place near the town of Boali, some 95 km (60 miles) northwest of the capital Bangui, on the main road to the Cameroonian border. The highway is used to transport food and supplies to the Central African capital.

"The vehicle was transporting cans of oil and there were a lot of people travelling on top," Mathurine Gbadin, deputy prefect of Boali, told Reuters by telephone. "It wanted to overtake another vehicle and plunged into a ravine."

Gbadin said at least 30 people were killed and dozens more injured had been transported to Bangui by African Union peacekeepers.

The African Union has deployed some 6,000 troops, alongside some 2,000 French peacekeepers, to stem sectarian violence in Central African Republic that erupted after the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in March 2013.

Seleka left power in January but still control the northern half of the country. Violence by Christian militias has driven tens of thousands of Muslims from the south, which is controlled by an interim government.