37 perish in Bauchi, Nasarawa auto crashes

It was a bloody Sunday for Bauchi where at least 20 people were burnt to death in the evening hours following a fatal accident that occurred at Tirwun area of the state capital.

The scenario occurred in the night of Saturday in Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa state where 17 persons were also killed when a commercial VW Sharon bus and a private Toyota Sienna bus engulfed in flames with the occupants inside the burning vehicles.

According to eye witnesses, the accident in Bauchi happened when a government vehicle collided with a commercial bus carrying 18 passengers passing by the road which caught fire and roasted all the occupants.

They 20 people in the two cars died instantly on the spot while only two persons survived with serious inquiries.

Our correspondent gathered that the passengers of the commercial vehicle included some students carrying school text books but their identities could not be ascertained as at press time.

The spokesperson of the Bauchi state police command, Ahmed Wakili, confirmed the incident to newsmen.

He explained that the corpses of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, adding that the survivors were also receiving treatment in the facility.

Confirming the Nasarawa incident, the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) unit commander in Akwanga, Assistant Corps Commander Ebere Onyegbaduo said “We received a distress call of a ghastly accident by 7 pm around ‘Ahead Town’, it is between Akwanga and Gudi towns.

“We rushed to the scene and found a Commercial VW Sharon Bus and a Private Toyota Sienna Bus engulfed in flames with the occupants inside the burning vehicles.

“We called for Fire Brigade, the fire was contained by 11pm and we completed the rescue by 2 am,” he said.

Ebere said preliminary investigation showed that the Sharon bus coming from Abuja was overtaking on a hill, and at a bend when it ran into the Sienna bus and the two vehicles went up in flames leading to the death of 17 people beyond recognition.

He said the occupants of the Sharon Bus have been deposited at the Akwanga General Hospital while those of the Sienna have been taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) in Lafia.

He cautioned drivers to avoid dangerous driving to safeguard their lives and of others.

The occupants of the Sienna salon car have been identified as Prince Nuhu Hamman Gabdo, his wife and children.

They were returning to Abuja after the visit to his town in Gashaka, Mambilla Plateau of Sardauna local government area of Taraba state.

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