50 die in Nigeria as bus plunges into river

A bus in northern Nigeria veered off a bridge and plunged into a river, killing 50 people, it emerged today.

The accident occurred on Sunday, 31 miles south of the northern city of Kano, after one of the vehicle’s front tyres blew out and the driver lost control.

Sixty-nine people were on the bus when it crashed into the river, the radio said.

Most of the survivors, some rescued by local fishermen, were taken to a hospital in Kano.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps said they had recovered the bodies and would deploy a crane to lift the submerged bus from the riverbed.