Truck plunges into river, at least 71 people killed
At least 71 people were killed after a passenger truck in Ethiopia plunged into a river while crossing a bridge.
Al Jazeera news site quoted a statement from Ethiopian officials on December 29 saying that the accident occurred at a river bend in Bona Zuria district in Sidama state, about 300km south of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.
“So far, at least 68 men and three women have died in the accident,” the Traffic Control and Prevention Department of the Sidama State Police Commission said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Wosenyeleh Simion, a spokesman for the Sidama state government, said rescuers at the scene recorded five survivors “in critical condition, and they were taken to Bona General Hospital for treatment.
“The vehicle slid off the bridge and into the river, the road has many curves. Some of the passengers were returning from a wedding, and the families lost many members. Traffic police in the area reported that the overloaded vehicle was the likely cause of the accident,” Mr. Simion said.
According to Al Jazeera, Ethiopian authorities have so far been unable to determine exactly how many people were on board the vehicle at the time of the accident.