At least 17 passengers were confirmed dead after a bus plunged into a collapsed bridge along Gwalli Road in Gummi local government area of Zamfara State.
Confirming the incident, the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC), Zamfara State Command, in a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SRC Isah Aliyu, said the incident occured when the bus on motion plunged into the collapsed bridge on Sunday night.
The statement said that the State’s Sector Commander, CC Aliyu Magaji, who was at the scene of the incident, expressed shock and sadness for the loss of lives of passengers who were mostly women.
The bridge, according to the statement, collapsed within the week and some villagers volunteered to clear the road and make it passable for motorists when the ill-fated bus with heavy load and passengers lost control and plunged into the makeshift bridge.
The Sector Commander further said the incident occurred as a result of overloading of the Hummer bus, which was also travelling at late hours.
The FRSC Commander, however, thanked stakeholders in the areas, who after the incident occured, immediately rushed to the rescue of the victims in the river.
Commander Aliyu, while condoling the Government of Zamfara State and people of Gummi local government area over the incident, also advised motorists to always adhere with rules and regulations of driving and also avoid travelling at late hours.
