Over 18 Persons Perish In Niger Road Accident
By Marcus Ikechukwu
More than 18 persons have died in a ghastly motor accident involving an 18-seater Toyota bus and a Truck (tipper) late Saturday night.
The incident occurred at Gidan-Mangoro area, along the Minna-Bida road, Minna the capital of Niger state.
Eyewitness account said it involved a Kano Line bus coming from Lagos and heading to Kano but unfortunately had a head-on collision with a broken down Truck along the way.
It was also gathered that almost the entire occupants of the bus including children and the driver met their untimely death as they were burnt beyond recognition and their charred bodies mangled.
The broken down truck was almost at the centre of the busy Minna-Bida road without signs to indicate danger for other road users hence the bus could have rammed unto it and busted into flames causing the death of the occupants.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger state Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the incident, saying the only survivor of the accident is receiving treatment at an undisclosed health facility in Minna.
Wasiu who told journalists that 18 persons have been confirmed dead said the accident occurred around 3 am Saturday when the bus apparently on high speed ran into carelessly parked truck hence almost all the occupants were burnt beyond recognition.
While cautioning travellers against embarking on night journey due to inherent dangers, the PPRO said the bodies of the victims have been given mass buried at Gidan-Mangoro burial ground, in the outskirt of Minna metropolis where the ugly incident occured.