Six Togo players killed in bus fire

At least six Togo footballers have been killed after a team bus caught fire and plunged into a ravine.

The accident occurred on Saturday near the city of Atakpame, about 99 miles north of Lome, as club side Etoile Filante were on their way to Sokode for a league game against Semassi scheduled for Sunday.

According to the government’s account, a tyre is believed to have burst, which in turn caused the bus to flip over and plunge down a ravine.

Togo president Faure Gnassingbe ordered the victims to be taken to a military hospital in the capital city of Lome.

As well as the six players who have died, 28 others have been critically injured. However, the identities of the victims are unknown.

The incident comes just under two years after Togo’s national team bus came under a terrorist attack en route to the African Cup of Nations in Angola, which saw the driver and other staff members killed.