A truck full of passengers plunged right into a river in Sidama state, regional authorities mentioned.
Not less than 71 folks have died in a street accident in southern Ethiopia, based on native authorities.
A truck full of passengers plunged right into a river in Sidama state, some 300km (186 miles) south of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, the regional communication bureau mentioned in an announcement late on Sunday.
In a Fb submit, the Sidama Police Fee Visitors Prevention and Management Directorate mentioned “68 males and three females are recognized to have died within the accident to date”, quoting Chief Inspector Daniel Sankura.
Wosenyeleh Simion, the spokesperson for the Sidama regional authorities, additionally confirmed to the Reuters information company that 71 folks had died.
“5 are in a vital situation and taking therapy at Bona Normal Hospital,” Wosenyeleh added on Monday.
In it’s assertion late on Sunday the regional communication bureau had given the demise toll as 60, additionally including that survivors had been being handled at Bona Normal Hospital.
Blurred photos shared by the Sidama Regional Well being Bureau confirmed a mass of individuals surrounding a automobile, partially submerged in water, with many seemingly making an attempt to assist pull it from the waters.
Different photos shared by the bureau appeared to point out our bodies, some coated in blue tarpaulin, mendacity on the bottom.
The well being bureau expressed its condolences to the households of the victims of the crash and mentioned it might share extra data later.
The police fee mentioned the incident occurred at about 5:30pm native time (14:30 GMT) on Sunday when the automobile plunged right into a river.
Wosenyeleh advised Reuters the truck had missed a bridge and fell right into a river and that the street had many bends.
A number of the passengers had been getting back from a marriage ceremony and a few households had misplaced a number of members, he mentioned.
He added that visitors police within the area reported the truck was overloaded, which probably induced the accident.
Authorities didn’t present particulars in regards to the variety of passengers who had been on board on the time of the accident.
Highway accidents are widespread in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation, the place roads are sometimes poorly maintained.
Not less than 38 folks, largely college students, had been killed in 2018 when a bus plunged right into a ravine in Ethiopia’s mountainous north.
