Auto crash claims 18 in Kogi
The accident occurred around 2.pm at Seyin Village, about 17 kilometres from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, when an 18-seater bus from Lokoja was overtaking another vehicle at a bend and collided with a trailer belonging to the Dangote Group of companies.
According to witnesses, all the 18 passengers in the bus travelling to Giriyan village died on the spot.
“This is very sad. I have counted 18 dead bodies even before the officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) arrived the scene. It was due to carelessness on the part of the driver of the bus. He dangerously overtook the other bus at a sharp corner, and in the process collided with Dangote trailer,” said Musa Hassan, a witness.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Yomi Asaniyan, however said only 13 persons died and six were seriously injured. Asaniyan said bodies of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, while the injured were receiving treatment in the same hospital.
He appealed to drivers to exercise patience and caution on the road, stressing that the task of reducing carnage on the roads is the responsibility of all. Ten of the victims were later in the evening buried separately according to Islamic rites at the Angwakura burial ground around Kabawa Primary School, Lokoja.