At least 71 people have died in Ethiopia after a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river, according to the spokesperson for the southern Sidama regional government and a statement.

The death toll from a road accident in southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 71 after a vehicle carrying a wedding party veered into a river, a local official said. - Perilous roads - Road accidents are common in Ethiopia,

Road accidents are common in Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, where roads are often poorly maintained.

At least 71 people were killed after a truck full of passengers plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia over the weekend. The truck fell into a river on Sunday evening in the Bona district of Sidama state, around 300km south of the capital Addis Ababa, the regional communication bureau said.

Türkiye on Monday extended its condolences to Ethiopia over a road accident that claimed the lives of 71 people. “We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Ethiopia,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The accident occurred in Sidama state -- some 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa -- in the Eastern Zone, in Bona Zuria Woreda.