No fewer than 120 people were involved in a ghastly auto crash when two large buses crashed into each other in Gniby, Senegal on Sunday, leaving at least 39 dead and many injured.

Thirty-nine people have been reported dead while more than 80 people were wounded in the crash that occurred around 3:30 a.m., according to Senegalese public prosecutor, Cheikh Dieng.

He claimed that the tyre on one of the buses conveying dozens of passengers had burst, causing it to collide “head-on with another bus coming in the opposite direction.”

Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, has declared three days national mourning period to empathise with the bereaved.

“Following today’s serious accident in Gniby which caused 40 deaths, I have decided on a 3-day national mourning from January 9th. An interministerial meeting will be held same day to take firm measures on road safety and public passenger transport,” said a Google translation of Mr Sall’s statement released in French.

The president also placed the actual death toll at 39, correcting an earlier statement where he claimed 40 people were killed in the crash.

He corrected the figure after visiting the crash scene and a nearby hospital where victims were receiving treatment.

“We note with great pain and sadness the death of 39 people in this traffic accident near Kaffrine,” Mr Sall said. “We have lost many young people in this accident and tomorrow the Prime Minister will convene an interministerial council that will involve the world of transport — transporters, drivers, insurers, security services — to look at the measures to be taken.”