The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that 19 people were killed and eight others injured in a fatal road crash that occurred on Sunday along the Lokoja-Obajana road in Kogi State.
Mr. Kumar Tsukwam, the state Sector Commander of the FRSC, disclosed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Monday.
According to Tsukwam, the accident happened around 4 p.m. at the Gadabiu community in Lokoja Local Government Area and involved a head-on collision between an articulated truck and a Toyota Hummer bus traveling from the South to Abuja.
“The crash was caused by speeding and wrongful overtaking. The bus tried to overtake another vehicle but collided with an oncoming truck,” he said.
Among the 19 persons who died,many of them burnt beyond recognition,were five children. The eight survivors sustained various degrees of injuries, including cuts, dislocations, fractures, and burns.
FRSC officials, in collaboration with the police, rescued the injured victims and rushed them to Fisayo Hospital in Obajana for urgent medical attention, according to him.
Tsukwam urged motorists to avoid excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, warning that highways are not meant for reckless driving.
He called on drivers to adhere strictly to traffic rules to help reduce road crashes and fatalities across the country.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.