The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kogi State command, has confirmed the deaths of 13 people on Monday in a ghastly Kogi auto crash, where two others were fatally injured.
Briefing Newsmen, the Kogi FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Samuel Oyedeji, revealed that the accident had occurred within the near-night hour of 7:30pm on Sunday.
Mr Oyedeji said the accident, which involved a commercial Sharon bus and a loaded cement truck, occurred at Obajana Market along Obajana -Lokoja Road in Lokoja Local Government Area.
The sector commander said that the Sharon bus had packed behind a truck around the market for passengers to buy some things when the cement truck lost its brake and rammed into it from behind, according to a report by Punch.
“As soon as the truck rammed into the bus, it immediately went into flames and burnt virtually all the passengers inside it,” Mr Oyedeji said during the briefing.
“Also burnt were the bus, two trucks and a motorcycle.
He further explained that the bus was travelling from the South to Abuja, adding that his men had already collected “the charred remains of the affected persons” and made sure that the “two injured persons” were taken to the hospital.
“Our personnel, who were on rescue operations with Red Cross Nigeria and Police officers, couldn’t save the situation due the fierceness of the fire
“But the charred remains of the affected persons were collected while the two injured persons have been taken to Fisayo Hospital, Obajana for medical attention,” he said.
However, Mr Oyedeji was worried that various hospitals they had visited in the state refused to accept the bodies, noting that such a situation might make them consider giving the dead bodies a massive burial if no relation shows up to claim them.
He also warned all road users and motorists against proper vehicle maintenance and regular checks of the engine condition, and to avoid speeding up in order to prevent auto crashes of this nature from occurring and claiming lives.
13 travellers killed, two others suffered mortal injuries in Kogi auto crash
