Seven Wedding-goers Died in traffic accident in West-Gojjam

ADDIS ABEBA – A traffic accident in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara regional state killed seven people who were travelling to a wedding, according to police.

The accident happened on Sunday morning in Gojjam zone’s Jahbi Tehan district, when a minibus with 19 wedding-goers overturned.

Seven people died immediately after the crash, according to the police’s report.

Twelve other people including the groom were injured in the accident, the report added. Police are currently investigating the possible causes of the deadly traffic accident.

Deadly traffic accidents have become fairly common in Ethiopia which has one of the lowest per capita ownership rates in the world.

Last week, a UN report says between 2007 and 2018, the number of road accident deaths rose from 2,161 to 4,597, citing data the national statistics.

Reports blame this on bad roads, reckless driving, a flawed driving license issuance system and lax enforcement of safety rules, among others.