At least three people were confirmed dead and two others were injured in an accident along the Nimule road checkpoint of Eastern Equatoria State’s Magwi County on Thursday.
The accident happened when a truck loaded with hides overturned and fell on pedestrians.
Police authorities said the driver of the truck was arrested and was in custody for investigations.
Nimule Police Inspector David Khasmiro told Radio Tamazuj that the accident happened at around 5pm.
He said the accident could have been caused by the poor road condition because the driver was reportedly on a low speed.
“This truck was coming from Juba to Uganda loaded with hides and upon reaching the checkpoint, it hit potholes and overturned, falling on five people. The vehicle was not on high speed but the condition of the road was bad,” he explained, and urged the government to repair the road.
An eyewitness, Silvester Nyuma, confirmed that two people died while being rushed to Nimule Hospital, while one died minutes after being admitted.
Nyuma said the casualties died of severe fractures on their heads and the abdomen in a situation of lack of drugs.
The Executive Director for the Women Agency for Progress Organization, Flora Sebit Jada, sent her condolences to the families of the deceased.
She, however, cautioned truck drivers against overloading, saying the road condition across South Sudan were poor and needed government attention.