At least 31 people were killed on Friday in Mali in an attack on a bus loaded with civilians by unidentified armed militiamen, local authorities said, according to the BBC.
The bus, coming from the village of Songo, headed for the Bandiagara market, a location about 10 km stationed in the center of the country. Local sources indicated that most of the victims were women on their way to work at the market.
According to local officials and witnesses cited by the Xinhua agency, the death toll is 33, at least seven injured and dozens missing.
The militiamen first opened fire, killing the driver and then set the bus on fire. According to the mayor of a nearby town, Moulaye Guindo, there are numerous wounded as well as an unknown number of missing. The attack, which has not yet been claimed, took place in the Mopti region, the scene of violence for months by fighters linked to Isis and al-Qaeda.