No fewer than nineteen (19) persons have been confirmed killed and eight (8) others injured in an auto crash that occurred on Sunday along the Lokoja-Obajana Road in Kogi State.
The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Kumar Tsukwam, confirmed this to Journalists in Lokoja, on Monday.
Tsukwam said that some of the survivors sustained bruises, cuts, dislocations, fractures and fire burns in the accident.
He explained that the fatal accident occurred at Gadabiu Community along the Lokoja-Obajana Road in Lokoja Local Government Area around 4pm Sunday evening.
According to the Sector Commander, five (5) children were among the victims that got burnt to death in the crash.
Tsukwam stressed that the unfortunate accident involved an articulated vehicle (truck) and a Toyota Bus which was en route Abuja from the Southern part of the country.
He narrated that the vehicles had heads-on collision when the bus which on high speed tried to overtake an articulated vehicle but suddenly faced the incoming truck.
“It was very unfortunate, because it was caused by speeding and wrongful overtaking and involved 27 persons with only eight survivors.
“Our rescue operation team and the police were able to rescue the eight survivors and rushed them to Fisayo Hospital, Obajana for immediate medical attention,” Tsukwam said.
The sector commander emphasised that the highways were not race roads and appealed to motorists to avoid speed and wrongful overtaking.
He also tasked motorists to always keep to traffic rules and regulations to help the corps and the federal government in reducing road crashes and carnage on roads across the country.
