Auto crash claims 20 lives in Plateau

A fatal accident along the Jos to Abuja highway on Monday night tragically claimed the lives of 20 passengers and left others with severe injuries.

An eyewitness told the Nigerian Tribune that the incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. at Hawan Kibo in the Riyom Local Government Area when an 18-seater Toyota bus had a head-on collision with a trailer, causing multiple accidents along the highway.

The eyewitness reported that all the passengers in the bus were traveling from Adamawa State to Abuja, while the trailer was coming from the opposite direction. The bus collided with the articulated vehicle at a sharp bend.

According to the witness, by the time other road users could offer assistance, most of the passengers had already died. Two passengers from another vehicle, who initially survived, later died at a nearby trauma hospital.

The spokesman for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Plateau Command, Mr. Yakubu Longsan, confirmed the tragic incident, stating that all the passengers in the Toyota bus perished.

“No one survived the accident. The only person taken to the hospital also succumbed to injuries. Eighteen died at the scene, and one passed away in the hospital,” he said.

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A staff member at the Riyom Trauma Hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the corpses were brought to the hospital early on Tuesday morning. She confirmed that the two survivors they were trying to treat later died.

She stated, “All the victims brought to us were already deceased. Some bodies were unidentifiable due to severe mutilation. The corpses have been transferred to a mortuary in Jos due to electricity challenges in Riyom Local Government. Unfortunately, the two other victims we were attempting to revive also died.”

Hawan Kibo, along the Jos-Abuja highway, has long been a notorious accident spot due to the road’s dangerous conditions. Frequent major accidents in the area continue to be a source of nightmares for travelers.