New Year: 11 dead, seven rescued in Kwara auto crash

Eleven passengers died early Tuesday morning, while seven others sustained severe degrees of injuries in an auto crash involving a DAF truck and a Toyota Hiace Bus at Ayere along Bode Sadu in Moro local government area of Kwara state.

Kwara State Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Stephen Dawulung, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Ilorin in a statement, said that the crash occurred around 4:50 am due to wrongful overtaking and speed violations.

The FRSC boss stated that the driver of the Toyota Hiace en route to Lagos from Gombe wrongfully overtook the truck, which resulted in the head-on collision.

He stated that his men, in conjunction with officers of the Nigeria Police Command, stationed at Bode Saadu for end-of-year traffic and security control operations, immediately went to the spot of the incident for rescue operations.

Dawulung, however, stated that eleven passengers were found dead while seven others sustained various degrees of injuries when the officers arrived at the scene of the event.

According to him in the statement,” Preliminary investigations revealed that the Toyota Hiace bus coming from Gombe en route to Lagos wrongfully overtook another vehicle, resulting in a head-on collision with an oncoming DAF truck.

“A total of eighteen (18) people (male adults) were involved; eleven (11) sadly lost their lives, while seven (7) others were rescued with varying degrees of injury and have been taken to Ifeoluwa Hospital, Bode Saadu, where they are currently receiving treatment.

He, however, admonished drivers “to drive within the stipulated speed limits, avoid night journeys, and long hours of driving without adequate rest, which can result in fatigue, lack of alertness, poor visibility, and poor judgement, as these constitute high-risk factors that result in crashes with high fatalities.”

Dawulung also assured that the “Kwara Sector Command will continue to discharge its primary responsibilities of curbing road traffic crashes with the highest level of proficiency and professionalism towards ensuring the safety of all road users within Kwara State.”