LAGOS SEPTEMBER 16TH (NEWSRANGERS)-No fewer than 19 wedding guests lost their lives on Saturday when a commercial bus conveying a bride and other passengers plunged into a river while crossing a broken bridge at Gwalli village in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The victims were travelling from Fass village in Gummi LGA to Kebbi State to hand over the bride to her husband after the wedding Fatiha.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Fatihu, told the Nigerian Tribune that the driver was unfamiliar with the area. He explained that villagers had patched the damaged bridge with sandbags and stones, but the bus slipped off the makeshift path and overturned into the river.
A relative of one of the victims, Ummaru Tela Gwalli, lamented that the bus was overloaded. According to him, the driver panicked when he heard the vehicle scraping against the rocks used to fill the washed-away section of the bridge.
“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. Nineteen persons died in the incident. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, while two are still missing,” he said.
It was gathered that the bride and a few passengers who had stepped out of the bus survived, while the remaining occupants drowned in the river.
Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Zamfara confirmed the deaths of 17 people, mostly women, in the accident.
In a statement, the FRSC Public Education Officer in Zamfara, SRC Isah Aliyu, said the crash occurred along Gwalli Road after a bridge that had collapsed earlier in the week gave way.
According to him, residents had attempted to create a makeshift crossing with sandbags to allow vehicles to pass, but the effort failed, leading to the tragedy.
The Corps Commander, Maaji, advised motorists to avoid night travel, desist from overloading, and always seek updated information on road conditions before embarking on any journey.
Nigeria Tribune
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