By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
At least 11 persons have lost their lives, while 16 others have been injured in an auto crash at Gaya Junction along the Kano-Maiduguri road.
According to the Kano State FRSC Sector Commander, Ibrahim Sallau-Abdullahi, in a statement on Saturday, one person was rescued unhurt in the mishap.
He said the accident involved two vehicles – a Toyota Hummer bus with registration number KTG 190 XB and a Hijet mini pick-up with registration number KTG 501 YG.
He further explained that as soon as the information was received via phone call at about 03:45 pm on Friday, “we quickly dispatched our personnel and vehicle to the scene of the incident to rescue the victims at 03:55pm”.
Abdullahi said that the accident occurred as a result of excessive speeding and loss of control, which led to a head-on collision with the two vehicles bursting into flames immediately.
TheFact Daily learns that a total of 28 passengers were involved in the accident, out of which 11 lost their lives while 16 others sustained serious injuries, and one was rescued unhurt.
“The injured were taken to Gaya General Hospital for urgent medical treatment, while the corpses were respectfully laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony”, Abdullahi said.
The sector commander emphasized the importance of compliance with road safety rules and regulations, and urged drivers to refrain from committing traffic offences such as speed violations and overloading of vehicles with passengers, animals or goods.
Abdullahi also advised commercial drivers to install speed limit devices on their vehicles to avoid crashes resulting from speed limit violations.
