At least 71 killed in Ethiopia after bus plunges into river
At least 71 people died in Ethiopia when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river, according to the spokesperson for the southern Sidama regional government and a statement.
What you need to know:
- A spokesperson for the Sidama regional government said local traffic police had reported the truck was overloaded.
- In 2018, at least 38 people, mostly students, were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia's mountainous north.
An accident in Ethiopia killed 71 people on Sunday after a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river.
Reuters arrived at the scene of the crash Monday, and found people looking down at the accident site from a bridge.
A local described what he saw:
“It went straight to the river. Men and women, nobody survived. Most of the bodies didn’t even have complete body parts. It would have been better if all the corpses were intact. I was here at the time; we collected the bodies of men and women and loaded them onto a car.”
A spokesperson for the Sidama regional government said local traffic police had reported the truck was overloaded.
He said some of the passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony, that the road had many bends - and that the truck missed a bridge and fell into the river below.
Deadly traffic accidents are common in Ethiopia.
Driving standards there are poor and many vehicles are badly maintained.
In 2018, at least 38 people, mostly students, were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia's mountainous north.
