Nigerian authorities said on Saturday that several people were missing after a truck plunged into a river in Lagos, northwest of the country.

The six-tire truck plunged into the Epe river after falling off a bridge late Friday, said the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

Nosa Okunbor, the spokesman for LASEMA, told Xinhua the truck was loaded with sand and several people, possibly including the truck driver and the driver's assistants.

"The exact number of people in the truck can't be ascertained at present," Okunbor said.

A combined team of responders, including divers, has begun a search for the victims, he added.