17 die in Kwara auto-crash

Wreckage of the bus after the accident with an articulated DAF truck at Bacita junction, on Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa highway on Thursday 22/08/2019 (NAN) — *Wreckage of the bus after the accident with an articulated DAF truck*

An auto-crash on Thursday at Bacita junction, on Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa expressway in Kwara, has killed 17 people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accident involved an 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus and an articulated DAF truck carrying container.

An eyewitness account revealed that the accident was due to speeding and dangerous driving as the two vehicles had head-on collision at a bend along the highway.

The source said that while 17 passengers in the bus were killed, two occupants of the articulated vehicle suffered various degrees of injuries.

Mr Udeme Eshiet, the Head of Operations of the Kwara command, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed the road mishap.

He explained that the DAF container truck was going towards Jebba, in the Kwara North District, while the passengers’ bus was coming to Ilorin, the state capital, from the Northern Nigeria when the crash occurred.

The FRSC official told NAN that the crash occurred at a sharp bend, as a result of speeding, which led to head-on collision by the two vehicles.

“Due to excess speeding in which the two drivers were involved while driving their vehicles at the time when the crash occurred, they could not negotiate the sharp bend properly, and when they eventually met, it resulted in head on collision,” he said.

He, however, called on motorists to be more careful while driving on the nation’s highways during rainy season to check avoidable accidents.

According to him, passengers should not hesitate to caution or report any reckless driver to law enforcement agents.

He said the remains of the deceased had been taken to a hospital in Ilorin, with the injured victims for treatment.