Thirteen passengers were yesterday burnt to death and six others injured in an accident involving a Toyota Hummer bus and a Hyundai jeep in Kano. The accident took place on the Gaya-Wudil Road in Kano State.
In Anambra State, four persons were confirmed dead while 12 others sustained various degrees of injuries during a stampede caused by a blast at the Chemical Market, Onitsha, the state’s commercial hub.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident which occurred at about 12.45pm yesterday destroyed goods and shops valued at millions of naira in the market.
The Kano FRSC sector commander, Zubairu Mato, confirmed the number of deaths, yesterday.
He said road safety officials arrived at the scene of the accident that occurred at Rege Village by Antukuwani, on Kano-Gaya Road at 7.45pm.
He said the bus with registration number, GML 102 TA belonging to Kano Line was coming from Gombe State when it collided with the jeep at about 7.30pm on Sunday night.
He said, “Thirteen passengers were burnt to death on the spot with 6 others injured in the accident.”
It was gathered that one of the female passengers died on Monday morning at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital intensive care unit.
The FRSC commander attributed the accident to over speeding and dangerous overtaking.
He, therefore urged drivers to always ensure the use of speed limit device and avoid dangerous overtaking while driving on highways.
The stampede in Onitsha was said to have happened following a blast that occurred in a part of the market which ignited fire.
The four traders who died, and those injured were trying to escape, but, as a result of the stampede lost their lives while those who sustained injuries were rushed to nearby hospitals.
The chairman of Onitsha South local government area, Mr Emeka Orji told newsmen that “about four persons were confirmed dead while 12 persons so far are injured following an explosion at the Onitsha Chemical Market, yetserday, which caused a fire disaster in the area.
“So far, goods watch over N850 million was said to have been destroyed by the bomb blast with several shops also destroyed in the process.
“The bomb blast occurred at about 12:45 pm at the market which led to a fire outbreak and stampede at the market. As a result of traders scampering for safety, four persons lost their lives while more than twelve persons sustained various levels of injury in the process,” he said.
He complained that though the men of the state fire service led by the chief fire officer, Mr Martins Agbili, assisted by their counterparts in nearby Asaba in Delta State responded swiftly their operations were hampered due to congestion in the market.
He, however, stated that the fire service men were able to control the fire from spreading across the entire market.
Orji also praised the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Fegge, Rabiu Garuba who he said swiftly deployed officers and men to the market to guarantee security of goods and other properties belonging to the traders.
A trader in the market, Mr Nweke Uchenna narrated how the incident happened thus: “We were at our shops as usual when we heard a loud noise like a bomb blast and we saw thick smoke from some shops upstairs and everyone started running for safety.
“Then people started shouting for help and we saw people carrying bodies of people from those shops that were on fire and some were burnt pretty badly while some seem to have been suffocated by the smoke and the stampede.
“We don’t know how much that has been lost to the fire but it can be estimated at N850 million to about N1 billion because the goods are strong chemical products that are highly inflammable.
“We are happy that the Anambra State Fire Service came on time to prevent the fire from going deep into the market,” Nweke said.
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