71 dead in Ethiopia road accident after lorry carrying wedding party veers into river

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 on Monday.

The lorry careered into the water at around 5.30pm on Sunday, some 300km (180 miles) south of the 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 Agence France-Presse.

“Among the deceased are four people from the same family,” he said.

He said 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.