Truck Carrying Wedding Party Plunges into River After Missing Bridge, Killing at Least 71

At least 71 people are dead after a truck carrying a wedding party plunged off a bridge in Africa.

Local authorities said the accident happened on Sunday, Dec. 29, when the truck fell off the Gelan Bridge in the Sidama state of Ethiopia, according to the Associated Press and BBC News.

Villiager Serak Boko told the AP that loud music was playing from the truck shortly before the crash, and that several well-dressed people were simultaneously dancing and waving.

Police said the truck fell in the river after missing a bridge on a long, winding road, The Independent reported.

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Wosenyeleh Simion, a spokesperson for the Sidama regional government, said 68 men and three women are among the dead, Reuters reported.

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At least four other people critical condition and "taking treatment at Bona General Hospital," the spokesperson said.

Local traffic police believe the truck may have been overloaded with people when the crash occurred, Simion added, according to BBC News.

Images from the crash site, shared on Facebook by the Sidama National Regional State Health Bureau, show the mangled vehicle overturned in water as dozens of people surround it.

Simion said some families had lost multiple members in the tragedy, according to CNN.

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An investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing.

Traffic deaths are among the most common in Ethiopia, according to the reports.

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