LAGOS MAY 9TH (NEWSRANGERS)-No fewer than 16 persons have been confirmed dead following a fatal road accident along the Lokoja-Okene Highway in Kogi State.
The crash occurred at Aku village near Osara on Friday morning at about 9:20am, according to the Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lawal Fagge.
Fagge, who confirmed the incident during a telephone conversation with journalists in Lokoja, said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD travelling from Jos, Plateau State, to Lagos.
He disclosed that the ill-fated vehicle was conveying 22 passengers made up of 21 males and one female.
According to the FRSC commander, the accident was caused by fatigue and excessive speed, which made the driver lose control before the bus veered off the road and plunged under a bridge.
He said 16 occupants of the bus, including 15 men and the only female passenger, died on the spot.
Officials of the FRSC in Kogi State were said to have swiftly responded to a distress call and rescued six passengers who sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The injured victims were reportedly taken to nearby health facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, for medical attention, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.
The FRSC command urged motorists and other road users to obey traffic regulations and avoid speeding and fatigue while travelling to prevent avoidable loss of lives on the highways.
Saharareporter
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