A 30-passenger bus on Friday plunged into a river along Akaeze-Ishiagu bridge in Ebonyi, sparking fears that dozens may have drowned.

The bus was said to be carrying some church members who were returning from a funeral.

WuzupNigeria gathered that five persons were rescued by local divers as of 10 pm on Friday night, but a woman among them died at the hospital.

The accident occurred around 6pm.

It was further gathered that the bus driver wanted to overtake a truck when he lost control and skidded off the bridge.

The Federal Road Safety Sector Commander in the state, Stella Uchegbu, who confirmed the crash, said the number of people on board could not be ascertained as the bus was still trapped.

She said,

“The accident involved a 608 bus carrying members of a church returning from a burial. They were coming from Afikpo to Enugu. The bus lost control on Akaeze Bridge while trying to overtake a truck or while the truck was trying to overtake it. It lost control and plunged into the river.

“I learnt about five people were rescued by divers organised by the local government area chairman and they were taken to a hospital. We could not ascertain the number of people on board because the vehicle has not been found.

“Being a group outing, we do not know whether they observed COVID-19 protocols. That kind of bus normally carries up to 30 or more passengers. We do not know whether it was fully-laden. Search and rescue is still on and our men are on the ground. The divers said it was already dark and they could not continue.”

The police spokesperson in Ebonyi, DSP Loveth Odah, said that one of the rescued victims had died while the four others were receiving treatment.

“The bus is still trapped in the river. We don’t know the number of passengers on the bus,” she added.