More than 70 people died in Ethiopia when a truck plunged into a river

At least 71 people have died in southern Ethiopia after a truck plunged into a river, officials said.

A car traveling through Sidama state on Sunday plunged into a river after it missed a bridge, a local official told Reuters.

Waseniele Simion said many of the passengers were wedding guests.

Traffic police in the region said the truck was overloaded, which likely caused the incident, Mr Simion said. Further investigations are underway.

Of the known dead people, 68 were men and 3 were women, the Traffic Prevention and Control Office of the Sidama Police Commission said.

Blurry images shared on Facebook by the state health bureau show a group of people trying to pull a damaged car out of a reservoir in the Bonn district.

Other pictures shared by the bureau appear to show bodies, some covered in blue tarps, lying on the ground.

Thousands of people die each year in road accidents in Ethiopia, often blamed on speeding and disregard for traffic rules.