Not less than 24 lives were lost in two accidents in the neighbouring States of Plateau and Bauchi. In Jos a fuel-laden truck caught fire and burnt innocent drivers, while 14 died in a fatal crash at Zangoro Village, along Bauchi-Darazo road.
As usual, preliminary findings queried human error in both tragedies, where many cars, commercial tricycles, and other properties were razed. Bauchi roads have also become notorious for auto accidents because of the tendency of commercial drivers there for overspeeding.
In Jos, some angry residents of the area took it out on road safety officials, attacking them and setting their vehicle on fire for allegedly arriving late to the scene for rescue operation.
Plateau State Police Command spokesman, Alfred Alabo said, “The Command received information from a good Samaritan that a tanker conveying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) lost control, crashed and burst in flames along Bauchi Road Junction in Jos.
“On receipt of the ugly incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, directed the Angwan Rogo Divisional Police Officer and his team of detectives to move to the scene of the accident immediately. Upon their arrival it was discovered that 10 yet-to-be-identified persons were burnt beyond recognition. Their lifeless bodies were later deposited at Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, while three (3) Motor vehicles and two (2) tricycles affected by the fire were recovered from the scene.
“Efforts are on to remove obstacles placed on the road to enable the free flow of traffic and to identify the true identity of the burnt bodies.”
The spokesman of the FRSC in the state, Mr. Peter Longsan, said, “When the incident happened, our people went there and started rescuing the victims, they took the first batch of the victims to the hospital, on coming back for continued rescue, they were attacked, one of our vehicles vandalized and burnt down. Our ambulance was destroyed. The carcass of our patrol vehicle is there, our men were chased away and two of them were injured.”
On the Bauchi accident, The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in that State, Yusuf Abdullahi, said on Thursday that five others sustained various degrees of injuries in the crash involving two vehicles.
He said: “There was a fatal crash at Zangoro Village along Bauchi-Darazo Federal Highway which involved two vehicles – a commercial vehicle and the other a private one.
“They are a yellow Golf 3 Wagon with registration number: AJ-507 GWA and an Ash Chevrolet also with registration number: 15B-07BA belonging to the Bauchi State Government.
“A total of 19 people comprising 10 female adults, seven male adults, one female child and one male child.
“Immediately they arrived at the scene of the incident, they rushed the victims to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for confirmation and medical treatment. Unfortunately, 14 of them were certified dead by a medical doctor upon arrival there.
“Those killed were two male adults, 10 female adults, one male child and one female child. Those who were injured are five male adults,” he said.
Abdullahi said that the crash might have probably been caused by speed limit violation by the drivers.
His words: “They are not patient, so they drive recklessly without obeying the laid down road traffic crashes. If people were to be more careful and observe these traffic rules and regulations, crashes on our roads will be reduced to the barest minimum. These will reduce loss of lives and properties.”