9 year old boy dies in fatal car accident on Praslin

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles police has confirmed that a 9 year old boy, Branone Esther, has died after he was hit by a car yesterday evening in the vicinity of the Amitié Football Stadium on the second most populated island of Praslin.

The accident was reported to the Grand Anse Praslin police station at around 7:05 pm local time yesterday evening.

“According to reports the boy was crossing the road coming from behind a bus when he got hit by the car driven by a police officer,” reads the police statement.

The car was heading in the opposite direction.

The police officer who was driving the car appeared before the court this afternoon and was released, while the investigation continues.

The police statement says an independent board of inquiry has been appointed at the request of the Seychelles Minister of Home Affairs and Transport also responsible for the police department, Joel Morgan.

The Comissioner of Police, Ernest Quatre has appointed Patrick Andre who is the Principal Secretary for Transport as the chairman of the board of inquiry.

“The other members are the Road Transport Commissioner Tim Marie, Seychelles Licensing Authority’s Principal Inspector Daniel Quatre, Police Superintendent Jean Paul Ernesta and Michael Antoine who is a Praslin school head teacher and also member of the Praslin Transport Corporation board.”

The accident occurred only a day after the Seychelles police reported that in mid-2014 there have been 9 fatal road accidents that surpass the total number of 8 for the whole of last year.

This followed the death of the 9th accident victim, Daniella Balette on Saturday morning, at the intensive care unit of the Seychelles Hospital.

Balette was passenger in a car who was involved in an accident at Anse Forban in the south of the main island of Mahé on May 18.

The death of the 9 year old boy on Praslin brings the total number of fatal accidents to 10 so far.

Updated at 7.27pm