According to a local authority, a car transporting a wedding party swerved into a river, increasing the number of fatalities from a road accident in southern Ethiopia to at least 71.
In Sidama state, around 300 kilometers south of the capital Addis Ababa, the truck plunged into the river at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.
According to the Sidama Police Commission Traffic Prevention and Control Directorate, there have been three women and 68 males killed “so far.”
An official with the provincial communications department, Wossenyeleh Simon, told AFP, “The accident was particularly horrific because the river had a lot of big stones so most passengers, including the driver, were killed due to the impact.”
He stated, “Four members of the same family are among the deceased.” When the driver attempted to turn, he said that the “freight truck,” which was transporting 76 people, including day laborers and those going to the wedding, lost control.
Since there weren’t many passenger cars on the road that day, it’s possible that the truck was transporting more people than it could hold, he continued.
According to blurry photos released by the health bureau, there were numerous ropes trying to help pull the car out of the water as it was surrounded by a large group of individuals who were partially buried in it.
The agency also released other photos that seemed to show bodies on the ground, some wrapped in blue tarpaulin.
According to Wossenyeleh Simon, personnel from a local hospital were on the scene promptly on Sunday, “assisting in the recovery of the deceased’s bodies as well as carrying out search and rescue activities for survivors.”
Two of the five survivors had severe injuries and were presently being treated at Hawassa Referral Hospital. Three had already been released, he noted, despite experiencing “mental stress and psychological (shock)” symptoms.
Roads that are dangerous
Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, has a high rate of traffic accidents due to badly maintained roadways.
At least 28 people were killed and 19 more were critically injured when a bus in Wolaita, southern Ethiopia, drove into a river earlier this year. In a similar vein, an army truck collided with a minibus in the north of the country in 2018, killing at least 18 civilians.
The continent has the highest ratio of vehicle deaths despite having the fewest roads and automobiles of any region; this is frequently due to inadequate infrastructure, a lack of rescuers, and outdated vehicles.
According to a World Health Organization survey earlier this year, Africa, which is home to only around 4% of the world’s autos, was responsible for 19% of road deaths last year.
Additionally, it discovered that the continent was the only area where traffic fatalities rose by 17% between 2010 and 2021.
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