At least 71 people have died in Ethiopia after a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river, according to the spokesperson for the southern Sidama regional government and a statement.

No fewer than 71 people died in Ethiopia when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river. Spokesperson for the southern Sidama regional government, Wosenyeleh Simion, disclosed this in a statement late Sunday,

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.

Road accidents are common in Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, where roads are often poorly maintained.

More than 60 lives were lost in a devastating road accident in southern Ethiopia, as confirmed by the local health authority on Sunday. The incident occurred at Gelana bridge in Bona Zuria Woreda, a tragic event that has left the community in mourning.

Türkiye on Monday extended its condolences to Ethiopia over a road accident that claimed the lives of 71 people. “We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Ethiopia,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

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.

At least 71 people have died in a road accident in southern Ethiopia, according to local authorities. A truck packed with passengers plunged into a river in Sidama state, some 300km (186 miles) south of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, the regional communication bureau said in a statement late on Sunday.