A wedding celebration in Zamfara State ended in tragedy after a vehicle transporting a bride and her relatives plunged into a river when the weakened Gwalli bridge collapsed at Fass community in Gummi Local Government Area.
The accident, which occurred around 4:45 pm on Saturday, September 13, 2025, claimed at least 19 lives, including men, women and children.
The victims were family members of the late Sheikh Dauda Fass, a former lawmaker in the State House of Assembly.
“My newlywed sister was being taken to her husband’s home in Jega when the car fell from the bridge into the water. As they were brought out, we found 19 of them dead,” resident Babangida Halifa Ibrahim Fass recounted.
The bridge, a vital link for surrounding communities, has been in disrepair for years. Though it was rehabilitated during former Governor Abdulazeez Yari’s tenure, erosion from heavy rainfall destroyed the structure seven years ago.
arlier this year, residents attempted sand-filling to patch the damage, but the makeshift repairs failed.
Community leaders have described the loss as avoidable and are urging state and federal authorities to provide relief to the bereaved families and rebuild the collapsed bridge.
“This is not just a Gwalli problem, but a crisis affecting the entire Bardoki ward,” one resident said. “We urge the authorities to come to our aid before more lives are lost.”
