Forty killed in Chad crash

N'DJAMENA, Chad (Reuters) -- At least 40 people were killed when the lorry they were travelling on plunged off a bridge into a river near the capital of Chad, witnesses said on Friday.

Amadou Brahim told Reuters police and rescue workers had plucked some 40 bodies out of the Chari river by nightfall on Friday.

Many more were believed to be in the water after the accident, which happened on Thursday evening.

Others who had been at the scene gave similar accounts.

The heavily-laden lorry was crossing the Chagoua bridge over the river on the main road south out of the capital N'djamena when it careered off the edge of the bridge, Brahim quoted police as saying.

The cause of the accident was unclear. It is common in the northern African country for people, especially traders, to travel with their goods on lorries.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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