Nation
18 die in Bauchi auto crash, as boat mishap claims 10 in Kebbi
Not less than 18 people were burnt beyond recognition in an auto crash in Narbodo village of Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi state on Wednesday.
This is as no less than 10 bodies were recovered on Wednesday after a boat carrying more than 100 women and children broke apart on a river in Kebbi State, a local official said.
On the Bauchi incident, Yusuf Abdullahi, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), disclosed this in a road traffic report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Bauchi on Thursday.
Abdullahi who said the accident involved one Toyota Hiace bus and an articulated vehicle, revealed that three people on board the trailer were unscathed.
According to him, the accident occurred around 4:40 p.m. and it took the personnel of the corps barely seven minutes to arrive at the scene of the crash to clear the site.
He attributed the cause of the crash to a speed violation which led to a head-on collision between the two vehicles.
“Twenty-one people were involved in the road crash and there were 18 male adults and three children.
“Eighteen people who were all inside the Toyota Hiace bus were burnt beyond recognition as the vehicle went up in flames after having a head-on collision with the trailer,” he said.
Abdullahi also stated that mass burial was immediately carried out for the victims by the Nigeria Police Force.
The sector commander, however, advised road users to always be conscious of traffic rules and regulations while plying the roads.
He urged vehicle owners and drivers to ensure having good tyres, driving on average speed, routine vehicle maintenance and sound state of mind.
Meanwhile, the vessel, ferrying about 100 passengers returning from a farm on the River Niger, broke in half as it approached Samanaji village in Koko-Besse area of Kebbi State.
The ill-fated boat was overloaded with passengers “beyond its capacity,” according to Yahaya Bello Koko.
“We have recovered 10 passengers with the help of local divers while searches for 10 others still missing continue.
“The 10 missing are presumed to have drowned, considering the long hours they have spent in the river,” Koko added.
He, however, revealed that more than 80 passengers were rescued.
The Kebbi State emergency officials could not be immediately reached for comment on the incident.
Capsizes are common on Nigerian waterways due to frequent overloading and lack of maintenance.
