Survivors have recounted how 19 people lost their lives when a vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a river from a locally-made bridge in Gwalli village, Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on Saturday.

The victims were travelling to Sakaba village in Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi to convey a newly wedded bride when the Toyota Hummer model bus carrying 40 of them plunged into the river.

It was gathered that 21 people, among them the bride and driver of the bus, survived the accident.

According to eyewitnesses, after the vehicle fell into the water, only 17 corpses were recovered on Saturday, one was recovered the following day (Sunday), while one victim has not been recovered as of the time of filing this report.

The victims were said to be from three different communities of Zuru, Jega in Kebbi State and Fass in Zamfara State.

They all converged on Fass village in the Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara for the wedding ceremony of Hafsa Kabiru.

Our reporter gathered that the ramshackle bridge was locally constructed.

According to eyewitnesses and residents, the vehicle involved in the accident was an 18-seater commercial bus, though it was carrying far more than its capacity-over 30 passengers at the time of the crash.

As the convoy approached a hazardous section of the road near a collapsed bridge, the driver of the overloaded bus attempted to carefully navigate the treacherous crossing.

The bridge, which has been in disrepair for over five years, is known by locals as a death trap-particularly during the rainy season when floodwaters render the area nearly impassable.

A survivor, who simply identified herself as Rabi, said that among the victims was a woman found lifeless, still holding her child, both tragically dead.

She said, “I was forced by a friend to get off the bus. She said I should come down and wait for the driver to come back. She convinced me that since she will be on the first trip, I should be patient until the driver returns for the second batch. After a brief argument, I succumbed and alighted from the bus.

“We have lost good friends, and this unfortunate incident will remain in our minds for a very long time.

“However, as Muslim faithful, we have accepted the tragedy as the will of God. We will all die one day. But it is a painful tragedy that I have never witnessed in my life.

“We would have been among the dead victims of the incident if not because we were forced to get out of the bus.

“We were seriously terrified when we watched the bus plunge into the water. We were confused when the car went deep and disappeared in the water.

“We started screaming and calling for help. Though some people arrived on time, that did not save the lives of those inside the bus. All of them were brought out from the bus dead. A lifeless body of a woman among the victims was found glued with her child, and they were all dead.”

Liman Bello Muhammad Gwalli, a witness, said the vehicle was the second to cross the water after the first vehicle succeeded in crossing to the other side of the river.

However, halfway into the journey on the bridge, the bus got stuck, and the driver came down to check what was stopping the vehicle from moving, he said.

“Having noticed the situation, he decided to reduce the number of women on board. So, he asked some women to come down.

“The bride, who was sitting in the front seat, and some other women came out of the car. Immediately after some of the women disembarked, the bus slanted and fell into the river.

“One of the victims handed over her child to another woman from inside the car when the driver was reducing the number of passengers on board.

“However, the vehicle crushed the child to death while plunging into the water.

“Immediately, the bus fell into the water, some villagers around embarked on a rescue mission. Seventeen corpses were recovered within 30 minutes.

“The vehicle was pushed to the bank of the river, and they began the search for the passengers in the vehicle. In the process, the bodies of 17 were recovered. One other victim was seen floating on the water the following day. The corpse of another victim has not been recovered,” he said.

Alhaji Shehu Gumi, a community elder whose friend’s daughter was among the survivors, described the horrifying scene.

“The driver tried to avoid an exposed iron rod on the bridge by maneuvering the bus slightly to one side. Realizing the risk of the weight, he asked all the passengers to disembark while he inspected the area. The bride and another woman in front got out first,” Gumi told Daily Trust.

But as the other passengers were disembarking, the vehicle suddenly lost balance and plunged into the surging waters below.

“My friend’s daughter and her young child were thrown toward the riverbank and were saved by bystanders,” he continued. “But her co-wife’s son was not so lucky-he was among the 18 who drowned.”

Habiba Musa, a survivor, said, “I was very lucky to come down from the car when the driver asked some women to get out of the car.

“Honestly, I got out of the bus against my will, not knowing that I would be among those who would tell their stories.

“My friend Safiya and I decided to come down because most of the women did not want to get off the bus.

“But because we are the elderly among the women, we decided to get off the bus so that we would be taken in the second batch of the trip. I lost two friends in the incident.”

‘I raised this motion years ago’

Hon. Adamu Gumi, the representative of the affected constituency in the House of Representatives, has voiced strong frustration over the state of the road, noting that he has repeatedly called attention to its condition both on the floor of the National Assembly and directly to the executive Governor of the state.

“This road has been completely cut off for five years. I raised a motion on the floor of the House and presented it to His Excellency, the Governor, asking for it to be repaired. It was even included in the budget-but nothing has been done,” he said.

According to him, the lack of action forced residents to create dangerous, temporary paths with sandbags in order to travel during the rainy season.

These improvised solutions, he said, are no substitute for proper infrastructure and carry great risks.

“This is what led to the loss of 19 lives. I’ve done everything within my power as a legislator to raise awareness, yet nothing has changed. Today, people are still searching for the bodies of their loved ones.”

Overloading responsible for the accident – Police

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Zamfara State Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said it was unfortunate that the incident was caused by overloading, lamenting that a vehicle that was designed to carry at most 18 passengers was crowded with about 40 people.

Abubakar lamented that, “The driver had stopped and reduced the number of passengers on board after the vehicle got stuck on the bridge.

“It is very unfortunate, and people should learn how to carry passengers. Drivers should always stick to the specifications of their vehicles; if a bus is designed to carry 10 people, the driver should stick to that and carry only 10 passengers.

“According to reports from Gummi, 17 people died on the spot, and two are still missing. So, I can confirm to you the death of 17 people, and two others are missing.

“I would like to use this medium to warn drivers to desist from overloading their vehicles. All we are doing is for their good. How can you pack about 40 people in a bus that is meant to carry at most 18 people?

“It is unfortunate the victims lost their lives in this way, but sincerely speaking, the number of casualties could be minimised if the driver carried the exact number of people the bus was designed to carry.” (Daily Trust, excluding headline)

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