What was meant to be a day of joy in Zamfara turned into heartbreaking tragedy on Saturday evening. A bus filled with women and children, all part of a wedding convoy, plunged into a river near Fass village while escorting a bride to her new home in Kebbi State. At least 19 lives were lost, leaving families and the entire community in deep mourning.
Witnesses say the bus had stopped on a partially collapsed bridge when it suddenly rolled backwards into the water. Local transport official, Abubakar Muhammed, explained that the driver may have forgotten to apply the handbrake, but he also blamed the weak bridge for worsening the disaster.
Through the night, residents and emergency workers struggled to recover the bodies. The victims were mostly women and children — a reminder of how fragile road journeys can be in rural Nigeria, where poor infrastructure is a constant threat.
The accident has once again sparked calls for urgent repairs to Nigeria’s ageing bridges and roads. Community leaders insist that unless the government takes swift action, such tragedies will keep robbing families of their loved ones during moments that should have been filled with celebration.
