14 die, 13 injured in Kogi auto crash

Fourteen people have lost their lives in an accident at Aloma community in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The accident which occurred on Sunday, April 21,  involved a Toyota Sienna bus heading toward Abuja from Port Harcourt and a Toyota Hiace bus heading to the Southern part of the country.

Thirteen other persons survived the accident with varying degrees of injury.

Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred when two commercial Toyota buses had a head-on collision.

The eyewitness said, “The 13 persons including the driver of the Hiace Bus were completely roasted by the fire that engulfed it immediately after the head-on coalition with the Sienna bus.

“But one out of the four surviving persons in the bus died in hospital from the burns suffered bringing the number to 14 that died.”

He added that none of the 10 occupants of the Sienna Bus died but was badly wounded and receiving treatment in the hospital.

He noted that the injured victims were rescued by the villagers who quickly came to the scene of the accident.

“It’s because of their timely intervention that the Sienna bus did not get burnt as well, ” he said.

He blamed the accident on overspeeding and potholes along a bend close to Government Science Secondary School, Aloma.

He said it took rescuers 3 hours to remove the driver of the Sienna bus, whose two legs were reportedly badly damaged.

Contacted, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Samuel Oyediji confirmed the incident but said he was yet to get details.

“I’m yet to be briefed by the unit commander in that axis of the true picture of the accident, ” he said.