Daily Times

The death toll from a road accident in southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 71 after a vehicle carrying a wedding party veered into a river, a local official said. The truck careered into the water at around 5:30 pm local time on Sunday some 300 kilometres south of capital Addis Ababa in Sidama state. The Sidama Police Commission Traffic Prevention and Control Directorate put the death toll “so far” at 68 men and three women. “The accident was especially horrific as the river had a lot of big stones so most passengers, including the driver, were killed due to the impact,” Wossenyeleh Simon, an official with the regional communications department, told AFP. “Among the deceased are four people from the same family,” he said. He said that the driver had lost control of the “freight truck” – which was carrying 76 people, including those heading to the wedding and day labourers – when trying to turn a tight bend ahead of a bridge. “It was possible the truck was carrying people beyond its capacity as there were a scarce number of passenger vehicles operating during that day,” he added.