19 burnt to death in Abuja multiple accident

Nineteen persons were on Sunday burnt to death in an accident that occurred on Yangoji-Gwagwalada road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Eight other victims of the multiple accident involving three vehicles sustained various degrees of injury.

The Acting Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dauda Biu, confirmed this to NAN at the accident scene on Sunday.

He confirmed the crash involved three vehicles — two Toyota Hiace buses and an articulated vehicle.

Biu said, “Out of the 31 victims, eight persons comprising seven males and one female sustained various degrees of injuries, while 19 others were burnt beyond recognition.

“Investigation showed that the main causes of the crash were speed limit violation and wrongful overtaking, which eventually resulted in loss of control.

“The Toyota Hiace bus, with registration number MUB- 30 LG, crashed into the Citroen articulated vehicle and burst into flames, killing everyone on board.

“The second bus hit the first bus from behind and also caught fire. The fire melted the second bus with Bauchi state number plate. It was coming from Takai, Kano state, while heading to Benin.

“The Citroen vehicle loaded chicken feed from Zaria in Kaduna state and was heading to Akwa Ibom.

“The nineteen corpses were trapped but extricated by rescue operatives.”

He said the police had taken over the investigation and met with relevant authorities for the mass burial of the 18 dead victims.

He also said the bodies could not be preserved for identification as they were “burnt beyond recognition”.

“Clearing obstructions for free flow of traffic is ongoing as you can see and we will do our best to ensure we have a crash-free society,” he added.

“Injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital in Kwali in the FCT and one identified male corpse was deposited at the mortuary at Kwali General Hospital.”

Biu cautioned road users to always avoid excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking and other bad driving behaviours.

He also urged commuters to always plan their trips to fall within the daytime and avoid night trips because of hazards associated with dark hours.