A cattle truck veered out of control in Nigeria's northwest Sokoto state and plunged into a river, killing 27 men who were also on board, authorities said on Tuesday.
The accident occurred late on Monday close to the border with neighboring West African country Niger. Sokoto state police spokesman Sani Salisu said Wednesday that the crash happened Monday when the truck took a corner too fast on a major road in the state.
Many cows and sheep were also said to have died in the accident.
A witness said the accident occurred on Monday when the driver of the trailer with registration number SOKOTO XA 443 SAA lost control and plunged into a river close to Masallaci village in Tangaza local government area.
Salisu said the truck had been heading to Nigeria’s Delta state in the nation’s oil-rich southern delta. He said some of those riding atop the truck survived the crash.
Hitchhikers in the north often ride atop the trucks carrying produce and livestock to the south.
"We were able to rescue 15 people alive," Sokoto Road Safety Manager Alfred Adeboye told Reuters.
Traffic accidents are commonplace in Africa's most populous nation, where roads are often narrow and pot-holed due to under-investment and mismanagement.
The World Health Organization has said Nigeria is the third worst country for traffic fatalities, after China and India.
http://news.yahoo.com/truck-crash-northwest-nigeria-kills-27-093728131.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/police-27-people-riding-atop-truck-killed-in-traffic-crash-in-northwest-nigeria/2012/12/19/14d4affe-49c7-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html
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