Tragedy struck on Saturday, 13th September, 25, when a commercial bus, conveying a bride and other wedding guests, plunged into a river while attempting to cross a broken bridge between Gwalli village and Gummi town in Zamfara State, leading to the death of nineteen passengers
The victims were traveling from Fass village in Gummi Local Government Area to Kebbi State to hand over the bride to her husband after the wedding Fatiha.
Eyewitnesses said the driver, who was unfamiliar with the terrain, tried to navigate a damaged bridge that had been patched with sandbags and stones by villagers.
According to Muhammad Fatihu, the bus slipped off the makeshift bridge and overturned into the river, causing the passengers to drown.
Among the victims were family members of the bride, who had just concluded her wedding ceremony and were being escorted to her husband’s home in the Jega community.
Another resident of the area, Babangida Halifa Ibrahim Fass, described the tragedy as devastating. Ibrahim Fass, who lost relatives in the incident, explained that his newlywed sister was among those being transported when the bridge collapsed.
“It was a day that was supposed to bring joy, but it turned into mourning,” he said. “My sister had just been married and was being taken to her husband’s house in Jega when the bridge collapsed. We lost family members and neighbours in the accident.”
Local sources revealed that the Gwalli bridge had long been in a state of disrepair, with community members repeatedly appealing to authorities for rehabilitation. Sadly, their fears materialized most tragically.
A relative of the victims, Ummaru Tela Gwalli, said the bus was overloaded. He explained that the driver became alarmed when he heard the vehicle scraping against the hard rocks used to fill the washed-away portion of the bridge.
“The driver stopped to check, and the bride, along with some others, quickly stepped out of the bus. Unfortunately, while the driver was outside, the bus moved towards the right side of the bridge and overturned into the river,” he said.
According to Gwalli, 19 people died in the incident. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, while two remain missing.
The bride and the few passengers who had stepped out of the bus survived, while all the remaining occupants drowned.
