Nine-year-old dies after being hit by car |10 June 2014

Branone Esther, a nine-year-old boy of Mont Plaisir, Praslin, died on Sunday night after he was hit by a car at Amitié in the vicinity of the football stadium.

According to reports the boy was crossing the road behind a bus when he was hit by a car driven by a police officer.

This fatal accident was reported to the Grand Anse police station at around 7.05pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, the driver of the car involved in the accident is being detained.

At the request of Home Affairs and Transport Minister Joël Morgan, police commissioner Ernest Quatre has appointed an independent board of inquiry to carry out an investigation in this case.

The board is chaired by transport principal secretary Patrick Andre and the members are road transport commissioner Tim Marie, Seychelles Licensing Authority’s principal inspector Daniel Quatre, police superintendent Jean-Paul Ernesta, Praslin secondary school head teacher Michael Antoine, as well as a member of the Praslin Transport Corporation board.

Esther’s death came just one day after Daniella Balette died in the intensive care unit of the Seychelles Hospital on Saturday morning following an accident at Anse Forbans on May 18. Ms Balette was a passenger in the car which was involved in the Anse Forbans accident.

The total number of fatal road accidents registered so far this year has now reached 10, two more than the number registered for the whole of last year.