At least 15 persons lost their lives when a trailer conveying cattle overturned as a result of over speeding along Minna-Bida road, Niger state.
42 others were injured when a trailer carrying tomatoes and pepper overturned along Bida-Mokwa road.
The two incidents, according to the Niger state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), occurred on Sunday afternoon.
It said the victims and bodies of the deceased were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida.
Apart from over speeding, no one can ascertain the cause of the first accident, which claimed 15 lives, including the driver.
The Head of Clinical Services of FMC, Bida, Dr Adedeji Adekanye, confirmed 10 dead bodies were brought to the hospital from the accident spot but said no one gave him details of how the accident occurred.
He said the deceased were deposited at the morgue while five others who were brought alive later died due to the severity of their injuries.
The second accident where 42 persons were injured was said to have occurred when the driver lost control in an attempt to negotiate a bend around Gbadafu community after Vida town.
The trailer, said to be overloaded with people apart from the produce, overturned as the driver tried to regain control of the trailer.
Speaking to newsmen in Minna, the director-general, Niger state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Inga, who also confirmed the crashes said that the victims are from Katsina and Zamfara states.
He said the majority of the injured persons were receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (Bida), while 13 people were on admission at the Umaru Ndayako General Hospital in Vida, even as others were taken to a private hospital within the town.
The Head of Clinical Services of FMC, Bida, said the centre could not admit all the injured persons as it “currently lacks adequate bed spaces.”
He said most of the victims were being attended to on the floor while those with minor injuries were treated and sent home while others who had severe injuries were taken to other hospitals.
NSEMA’s director-general said the Agency had been able to reach out to relations of some of the deceased, and that their burial had been slated for 4pm Monday.
