The death toll in a road accident that occurred in Saminaka, in the Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State has risen to 40.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The death toll in a road accident that occurred in Saminaka, in the Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State has risen to 40.
The accident, which occurred around 1 pm on Sunday, involved mostly children, who were travelling to celebrate Eld El Maulud, a Muslim festival to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
The bus they were travelling in lost control and collided with an articulated vehicle due to over speeding and overloading.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kabiru Nadabo, had earlier on Channels Television, stated that 25 people died due to complications from the accident, while 48 others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to various hospitals in Kaduna, Jos and Kano for urgent medical attention.
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The FRSC, in a statement yesterday, said the accident occurred around 1pm on Sunday when a J5 commercial bus with registration number NSL 08 AA collided with another vehicle, a DAF trailer with registration number DKA 454 XY, near LEA Primary School in Lere.
Nadabo, said 63 people were involved in the crash. He said 15 victims, including the bus driver, Mukailu Musa, died on the spot while 10 others passed away at the hospital.
He added that 38 others were injured and are receiving treatment at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
“When the rescue team arrived, we confirmed that 15 persons from the bus, including the driver, were dead, while 48 others who sustained injuries were taken to the hospital for treatment.
“Sadly, at about 18:45 hours today (Monday), the command received an update that 10 more victims had died due to injuries sustained.
“This is truly sad and tragic. The total amount of the deceased has risen to 25 people out of the 63 people involved,” he said.
Nadabo said both overloading and excessive speeding contributed to the accident and urged motorists to adhere to safety guidelines to prevent such tragedies.
By Tuesday however, it was learnt that 40 persons have lost their lives as more victims of the accident died in the hospital where they were being treated.
In reaction the state governor, Uba Sani directed the state commissioner of health to ensure that the remaining surviving children who sustained injuries from the road accident were given adequate medical attention.
The governor in a statement expressed his pain by the tragedy and said he would reach out to the families of the deceased to offer some assistance.
Meanwhile, the remains of the victims have been buried in the Lere Local Government Area, according to Islamic burial tradition.